Digital Monsters Forever
by Pkmatrix
Summary: AU. In the year 2071, a seemingly random group of people is coerced by a mysterious force to enter the war-torn Digital World. Swept up in a war that has raged for seventy years, do these Tamers have the power to end it? Upadated October 29th.
1. Only A Dream

Editor's Note:  Two years ago, I decided to start a Digimon RPG.  It ran (quite successfully) at Gundamwatch and Animemech from April to August 2002.  During that time, I had the idea to turn the RPG into a story.  I saved all of the posts, right up until my word processor crapped out on me, which happened to coincide with the RPG dying out.  Two years have passed, and I have FINALLY gotten off of my lazy ass to put this story together. 

Keep in mind, this isn't MY story, I did not write it by myself.  It was a collaborative effort, the product of a dozen Role Players' imagination and four months of Role Playing.  Finally, after all of this time, it is time for everyone else to know the story.  I personally think this would make an excellent Digimon anime, although it would be much more serious than any of the other seasons.

I hope you enjoy Digital Monsters Forever!

--

Prologue 

There was once a time when the entire Universe could fit on the head of a pin. For reasons few understand, that tiny spec of matter exploded in the largest explosion in the history of time, creating reality itself. Within reality there are many subdivisions, but the two most well known by Humans are the Physical and Astral plains, the Physical plain being where life exists and the Astral being the realm of the dead.  
  
For billions of millennia, that is the way it remained, with only those plains born in creation. That is, until the year AD 1945. In that year, the first Digital computer in the history of the Universe, ENIAC, was created on the planet Earth. But, the activation of ENIAC did more than set the stage for the birth of the Information Age fifty years later, it also gave birth to an entirely new plain of reality: the Digital plain.  
  
From the moment ENIAC is activated, all data ever entered into any Digital computer or network is also compiled into the Digital plain, turning this plain into a literal archive of Human knowledge. Not only is normal data compiled, but also are mankind's early attempts at Artificial Intelligence. At first, the data compiles into small creatures that could be referred to as digital amoebas. But, as more advanced AI is developed; these creatures evolve into more advanced and intelligent forms.  
  
Eventually, the Digital Life-forms reach a point where they had evolved to the same intellectual level as their own creators. They collect the half-century's worth of data and use it to reshape their world into one that is reminiscent of the Earth. It is at this moment that both the Physical Earth and the Digital "Earth" both reach their height, before falling into chaos.  
  
Starting late in the year 2001, chaos erupts among the Humans and Digital "Monsters". The political landscape on the Physical Earth spirals out of control, before ending in a final confrontation between the world's nations. On the Digital Earth, the Digimon divide themselves into various groups and begin a series of chaotic wars that devastate their world.  
  
Seventy years later....  
  
Mankind, having nearly been blown back to the Industrial age, has finally reached an uneasy peace with itself. It is in this world, at this time, that an invisible rift opens between the Physical and Digital plains. Very few in either world know of this rift's existence, but there will be, of course, those who will accidentally stumble through and cross over....  
  
The year is AD 2071....

--

[Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"]  
  
[A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.]  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
[We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.]  
  
[Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, and then fades away.]  
  
[Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners]  
  
[Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building]  
  
[Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon]  
  
[We now see two Earths floating next to each other in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.]  
  
[Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, and then Celermon walks up behind him.]  
  
[All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladimon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.]  
  
[All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.]  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER  
  


--

**"Only a Dream"**

**Tuesday, April 7, 2071**  
  
**Sacramento, California**  
  
_"Help me..."  
  
"Who are you?" asks David, searching the darkness surrounding him.  
  
"My life is darkness...death..."  
  
The darkness seems to lift, revealing a world of devastation. The clouds in the sky are red and black, the ground is moist. David is in a village now, and the buildings are aflame.  
  
"What...? What is this place...?" he says, spinning around and looking down the street. In the distance, a small dragon-like creature stands, holding his blood-smeared right shoulder. David is transfixed by the sight, wanting to immediately run to help, but frozen with fear. Of what, he cannot describe. The permeating darkness...the aura of death...? A word comes to his mind for an inexplicable reason.  
  
"Akira..." he whispers as sudden bright light overwhelms everything...  
  
"David...DAVID!"_  
  
"Wh-what?!" David shouts, jumping up in his seat as the teacher gives him an annoyed look.  
  
"David, this is the _fifth_ time you've fallen asleep in my class!" he yells.  
  
"Sorry..." David mumbles, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. It happened again, that same nightmare.  But…now it's been getting both clearer and more frequent. He can't explain the dream, nor does he dare tell anyone about it, or suffer some form of ridicule from the idiots he is surrounded by.  
  
_They'd probably annoy me with the fact I dream at all..._ he thinks, just as the last bell rings, signaling the end of school and the start of Spring Break. Within mere seconds, the classroom is empty, with the exception of the teacher and himself. David picks up his Chemistry book and stuffs it in his backpack.  
  
"David," says Mr. Ira Caraway, the Chemistry teacher, "Have you been getting much sleep lately? Its odd that you've just suddenly started falling asleep in class..."  
  
David looks up at the young, silver-haired man, and then looks around to make sure they were alone. Wouldn't want one of those immature brats to find out about this.  
  
"I've been having nightmares," David replies, somewhat casually.  
  
"If its bothering you this much, maybe you should see a guidance counselor," says Ira, but David quickly shakes his head.  
  
"No, it's no problem. I should be fine after Break," he replies. Ira stares at him for a moment, concern in his eyes, before closing his gradebook.  
  
"Okay, just stay out of trouble," he says. David smiles and then heads for the door.  
  
"All right, have a good vacation, Mr. Caraway," says David with a wave, before disappearing from view into the hallway.  
  


--

Ira Caraway nodded pleasantly as the student left the room; the expression dropped as the door shut behind David. _Finally_. Although he regarded himself as relatively patient, he was getting a bit tired of having to deal with the obnoxious brats. It didn't help that he disliked children to begin with – after all, they were always asking irritating questions, and it was the carefree way that they went about things that irritated him the most. He wasn't a religious man, but he was thanking God that it was spring break now. A few more days and his ire might begin to show through his mask. The silver-haired teacher set about closing up the chemistry room: straightening his desk, seeing to it that the white board was clean and the floor was free of trash. Sometimes he had to wonder just what it had been that had possessed him to apply for the position in this high school.   
  
_I suppose that it's really just the fact that this job's a good cover._  
  
Which was entirely true. No one would suspect anything of a simple high school teacher and Ira was content to leave it that way, just as he was content with his current name. The young man swept his trench coat from the back of his seat. It really _wasn't_ his concern what a student might be dreaming or what happened to that boy. This was only a temporary position; at least, until he could find a better way to get closer to his goal. _Still, this does start to get rather tiresome._ Ira didn't particularly care if the students passed or failed his class – in fact, he didn't really care about _them_ to begin with. As far as he was concerned, they could all jump off a cliff and he probably wouldn't notice, much less give a damn.   
  
Ira left the classroom, his trench coat sweeping a white trail behind him as he stalked down the emptying corridors of the high school. Because it was spring break, most of the students had already left, although a few were still wandering the halls. The pale teacher smiled cordially at these as he passed them, nodding as he was occasionally given a cheerful farewell. He smiled outwardly as he inwardly laughed at their foolishness, their stupidity for living their petty lives. They were fools for not seeing the big picture. Well, that was their fault – it wasn't his business to baby sit these brats and steer their lives in the direction that _he_ thought would be far more constructive. It wasn't worth the bother, anyway.   
  
Not that he cared enough to even consider such a possibility.   
  
His cell phone rang insistently as he stepped into the sunlight. With an inaudible sigh of impatience, Ira reached into the depths of his ivory coat's pocket and thumbed the phone on as he brought it to his ear, continuing to head toward the parking lot as he answered the call:   
  
"What is it?"  
  
He listened calmly as the familiar voice on the other end began describing the current situation, switching the cell phone to another ear as he searched about for the keys to his sable Mustang. He was already sliding into the driver's seat as the woman finished the briefing.   
  
"No, that's not going to be possible," he answered. It was ridiculous what the woman was asking. "I don't have the resources to accomplish something like that."  
  
The woman was getting flustered as she demanded hotly that he'd better _do_ something.  
  
"It's not my concern what happens there," Ira replied coolly. He eased the black car out of the parking lot, depositing his glasses into the cup holder. It probably wasn't that good of an idea to be talking so caustically to his contact, but he had already guessed (correctly) that the woman wouldn't be willing to take such a risk and blow his cover. "And what you ask requires me to have a large amount of fire power, not to mention access to government buildings. Not only that, but what you're asking is going to draw a lot of attention to yourself."  
  
She suggested that he'd have to think of something, saying that if the warring factions _there_ continued to battle one another, it could get ugly and spill into the Real World, which would disrupt her employer's clandestine work.  
  
"That's your area, not mine." Ira's face was expressionless as he sped down the street, the car passing in and out of the shadows cast by the thickly leafed trees lining the boulevard.   
  
Well, she snapped, it was his area as of now. And, she added, she was willing to make a compensation for the trouble. It was up to him how he was going to get it done.   
  
_That's more like it._  
  
"I'll see what I can do. However, I'm going to need access to that system."  
  
She told him to check his mailbox in a few days – the instructions and the necessary files and codes would be there.  
  
"Fine." Ira turned the cell phone off, not bothering with any pleasantries. The young man decided to concentrate on his driving – he'd feel like quite the idiot if he went and did something completely stupid simply because he wasn't paying attention, like driving into a tree or something. Not that he was particularly reckless or anything, but you couldn't be too cautious. His mind mulled over the contact's words. _…Sounds like things are getting worse._ He didn't pretend that he understood what it was that her employer did – after all, he'd never been told (not that he'd ever asked) and he wasn't particular about it even if he did know. Ira had no qualms about such things, and he didn't trouble himself if his actions were "right" or "wrong".   
  
It simply didn't matter to him: as long as he got what he wanted. 

--

**Tokyo, Japan**

"Kana! Come here please!"   
  
Kana Stone looked up from her computer screen where she had been pecking away at a paper for her Japanese Class. "Yes, Mother?" Kana called in slightly accented English.   
  
"Come set the table please. Your father will be home soon." her mother called.   
  
Kana got up from her computer chair and walked into the kitchen. "What's for dinner?" she asked.  
  
"Its a surprise!" her mother smiled.   
  
Kana pulled down four plates. "Smells like meatloaf...I hate meatloaf..."  
  
"I know, I do too. But your father likes it and I thought it'd be nice to have something different."   
  
Kana placed the plates and the rest of the utensils needed on the table. Just then the apartment door opened.  
  
"I'm home!" Jake Stone walked into the kitchen. He threw his tie and coat on his chair. " Is that meatloaf I smell Mitsuke?"   
  
"Yes. I thought you might like it." Mitsuke pulled the pan from the oven.   
  
Jake turned to look at his daughter. "There's my girl." he hugged Kana. "How was your day Callie?"   
  
Kana smiled at his nickname for her. He was the only one allowed to call her that. "It was fine. How was yours?"  
  
"Fine, fine. Got a new program going. Maybe I'll let you see it before I send it in."  
  
"I'd like that." Callie smiled.  
  
"Toyo! Dinner!" Mitsuke called to her 12-year-old son.   
  
"Mother, he's at Kenji's house tonight. Remember?" Callie said to her mother.  
  
"Oh, yes. How silly of me to forget!" Mitsuke sat down. "Well let's begin."  
  


--

  
**Meanwhile…**  
  
A flash of deep blue light pulses out from Callie's computer screen. A device the size of a pocket watch falls out and onto her keyboard.   
  


--

  
**Later, after dinner…**  
  
"Kana, don't stay up too late!" Mitsuke called after Callie's retreating figure.   
  
"I promise. I just have to finish my paper. Goodnight Mother, Father."  
  
"Night Callie." Jake said reading the newspaper.  
  
Callie closed her door and walked back over to her computer desk. She collapsed into her chair and rolled up to the desk. The blue device pulsed quickly as she got nearer to it.   
  
"What is this?" Callie muttered to herself as she picked it up. A wave of images assailed her senses. In the foremost a fox like creature was calling her name and running toward her. Callie dropped it onto her floor and touched her forehead. It had been a long time since she had had a vision. Especially one of that magnitude. Little ones were common, but one like that only come once or twice every six months.  
  
Callie picked up the device. Nothing this time. She looked at it carefully. How had that creature known her name...and more than that it had been calling her Callie! No one called her that except her father. Callie placed the device next to her keyboard and went back to her paper. Whatever was going on would reveal itself to her eventually.

--

**Naha, Okinawa**  
  
A vague figure appears in front of an eerie blue light. It stands silent and still.   
  
[heart beat]  
  
_"Who are you...?"_ Nothing...  
  
_"Where are you...?"_ Nothing...  
  
_"Why are you...?"_ Nothing...  
  
_"Why must you haunt me night after night?"_ Nothing...  
  
_"...? Why won't you say anything?!"_ There is a flash, and then darkness....  
  
[end heart beat]  
  
"HUH?!" Kouyuu Fukushima awakes with a startle, sweat rolls down his face. The sun pours in threw the window on his left. He sits up, and stares off at nothing in particular.   
  
"[panting]"  
  
"Again, the same dream... Always the same, never changing." He wipes the sweat off of his face, and slowly slides out of bed. He makes his way to the window, and unlocks it before pushing it up letting in the sweet morning air. Kouyuu leans against the window with his left hand tucked under his chin supporting it. He gazes out of the window for a while looking out at the shimmering orange sea before...  
  
"Kouyuu!! YOU'RE going to make me late again!" Akiko Fukushima bursts into the room, shaking a fist at her brother of the same age. Kouyuu spins around startled by the sudden interference.  
  
"Oh...It's you Aki. You startled me..." He said as he began to relax again.  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, I'm fine. I'm just tired, so don't mind me." Kouyuu turned his attention back to the sea again. Akiko placed her hands on her hips, and looked at him curiously.  
  
"You know Kouyuu, sometimes I think you're the most mellow person ever...If not that than the most modest." Akiko stated shaking her head and leaving the room, heading down the stairs.  
  
"It's best not to trouble her or anyone else with my personal problems." Kouyuu said grinning and scratching his head before heading out to the shower.

--

**Sacramento, California**

"Stupid bus...it's never on time..." David mutters while staring out towards the horizon. The bus-stop is on top of some hill, giving a near-perfect view of the San Francisco skyline and the bay.  
  
"Hey, Milliard!" yells a voice, interrupting David's thoughts. He looks over and sees a group of three kids about his age, one of which is MUCH bigger than he is.  
  
"What do you want?" asks David, outwardly with no emotion. A few weeks ago he'd gotten into a fight with one of them, some punk named Lukas. The boy smirks and cracks his knuckles.  
  
"Rematch, dumbass," replies Lukas. David takes off his backpack and stands up from the bench, then looks over at them with a dead-serious glare. Almost as if this act of standing up was the ultimate insult, Lukas runs at him and throws a punch, but David effortlessly sidesteps the attack and elbows the punk in the kidney, sending him falling to the concrete sidewalk. Lukas' two friends quickly run up, both ready to beat the crap out of David, who surprises them by ducking and sweeping their legs out from underneath them.  
  
"F**k!!" yells Lukas, standing back up just in time for David to sidekick him in the face, sending him back to the sidewalk with a bloody nose. Lukas' larger friend gets back up and punches David across the jaw, cutting his lip. In retaliation, David quickly kicks him in a very...sensitive area, and watches as his eyes bug out for a second as he collapses to the ground.  
  
"Take this, b***h!" yells that last punk, taking out a knife and stabbing at David, who barely dodges. Quickly, he spins around and delivers a kick to the kid's side, sending him flying into a sign, then punches him repeatedly into the gut before letting him slide to the floor. David picks up his backpack and begins to walk away.  
  
"Don't piss me off…ever," he says, not looking back.  
  


--

**The Digital World...**  
  
A small group of Digimon marches towards a small village in the mountains. One of them, a Tyrannomon, carries the flag of the Dragon Vanguard.  
  
_Here I go again, to fight some more..._ thinks one of the Digimon, a Veemon called Akira. For seventy years now, since the Digital Earth was created, the world has been at war. While some places are at peace, thanks to being deep within the territory of one of the four Digimon armies, most of the world is in chaos. Akira was forced to join the Dragon Vanguard, if he didn't they would've destroyed the village because no one wanted to fight. His village had been in complete peace until that day...  
  
"I hate war..." he mutters.  
  
"We all hate war," replies one of the Digimon next to him, a Kuwagamon, "But if we help the Dragon Vanguard defeat the other three armies, then there will be peace. Then no one will ever have to kill again."  
  
"I hope that's true," the Veemon sighs.

--

_Another Dragon Vanguard squad. Looks like they've got some business with that village._  
  
Aero Veedramon crouched down, one muscled blue arm resting on the rocky outcropping as he surveyed the town below. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about the approaching Digimon; certainly nothing until he saw what they were up to. What with all the fighting and carnage over the past years, he was starting to get sick of the whole lot of then. It didn't particularly matter that these Digimon were part of the Dragon Vanguard – he was annoyed at the whole mess. It made him grit his fangs together in anger to listen to all that self-righteous trash that they spouted; the various factions used different words, true, but behind it all, they were all the same. _Arrogance, that's what it is._ Aero Veedramon decided, his jaws drawing back in a snarl of disgust.  
  
Well, he certainly wasn't going to let himself be seen by the fighters down below. He had no wish to be recruited for their little war: and he definitely had no desire to play hero either.   
  
Aero Veedramon got to his feet, ignoring the cramps that had been forming in the muscles of his hind legs and were now making a nuisance of themselves. The pins and needles would go away; unfortunately, the Dragon Vanguard unit wouldn't, the small mass of Digimon still creeping toward the village. Briefly, he wondered if they were going to raze the buildings there. Maybe they would delete all of its inhabitants and upload their data. He turned his back on the village, washing his claws clean of the whole affair.   
  
It wasn't his war, after all. Unless it was, he wasn't going to get himself involved with those down below.   
  


--

[Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"]

[In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face.  Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right.  Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay.  David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky.  As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back.  The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly]

[Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset.  Fal Micheal watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light.  Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same.  Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance.  Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.]

[On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky.  Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky.  Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.]

[Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears.  Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder.  Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on]

[On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously.  In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.]

[A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him.  A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.]

--

Episode 1 Cast (In order of author arrangement):

David Milliard . . . . . . . . . . Pkmatrix

Veemon Akira

Lukas and Thugs

Kuwagamon

Ira Caraway . . . . . . . . . . . Camille Bidan

AeroVeedramon

Kana Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . Renee Aarons

Mitsuke Stone

Jake Stone

Toyo Stone

Kouyuu Fukushima . . . . . . . Corey

Aki


	2. A Meeting of Minds

[Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"]  
  
[A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.]  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
[We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.]  
  
[Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, then fades away.]  
  
[Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners]  
  
[Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building]  
  
[Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon]  
  
[We now see two Earths floating next to each other in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.]  
  
[Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, then Celermon walks up behind him.]  
  
[All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladinmon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.]  
  
[All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.]  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER

--

**"A Meeting of Minds"**

**Tuesday, April 7, 2071**

**Sacramento, California**

It was a dark apartment that Ira Carraway returned to. He wasn't at all surprised - he rarely had anyone over and he didn't expect anyone to be waiting for him. He generally didn't like to be with people anyway. Besides, it was one of his general rules _not_ to permit strangers into his temporary housing; he had enough things hidden away that he was uncomfortable of the idea of letting others into the apartment. With a deft motion, he flicked on the lights. _What's this?_ His deep violet eyes fell on the object sitting on his desk before his glowing computer terminal.   
  
His first thought was that someone had found out about him. The pale man never lost his composure, however - he wasn't particularly worried about that, because it would be a loss to his contact and her employer; it would be by no means his loss. Besides, if the intruder was still in the confines of the apartment, he could probably take him out: he'd been trained enough in self-defense that he could easily disarm him. Ignoring the beeping black device the oak table, he began a silent search of the room, his footsteps falling noiselessly on the carpet.   
  
When he came back into the living room, he was satisfied that there was no one else in the apartment - he'd made a thorough search, and had come up empty. It didn't look like anyone had gone through his belongings either, because he had check on that too and he knew his house well: everything was where it had been when he'd left the room earlier. So that just left him wondering about the device sitting before his computer. _Did I leave that on?_ He wondered. He didn't think so - in fact, he'd turned it off last night, because he remembered the monitor had been off when he had gotten ready to leave for the high school.   
  
_Perhaps my contact was a little eager to get me on the job..._  
  
Ira strode over, picked up the sable object in his hand and turned it over, examining it carefully. It didn't _look_ like it was an explosive, though he wasn't really an expert on those sorts of things. And it didn't look like it could contain any disks or anything - just an LCD screen and a few buttons. Whatever it was, the thing was on, for the screen was glowing a wan blue glow; the light was spilling up, reflecting off his glasses.   
  
For a moment, a wave of uneasiness assailed him; his instincts were urging him to put down the device, or throw it out. He was inherently distrustful. After all, he'd never seen anything of its make before. _But...perhaps it has something to do with my contact? Something she wants?_ If that were the case, then it would be a good idea to keep it. He'd rather have it than she. It was the principal, after all.   
  


--

Callie couldn't think. The device next to her keyboard still bothered her. Where had it come from? And what about that fox-thing... She picked it up and then sat down in the middle of her floor. She reached under her bed and pulled out a wooden box. Inside sat a set of animal tarot cards. Callie but the device in front of her and shuffled the cards. She laid out a reading. Callie glanced of the cards and her eyes widened. There were only four fox cards in the entire deck, but all four had managed to get on top.   
  
"Hmmm..." Callie touched one of the cards. She had always liked foxes. She had read enough stories that some people believed that they possessed psi abilities. Callie wasn't sure about that, but at school a few people called her Kit. And in her locker were a few pictures of the animal.   
  
Callie picked up the device again. Another wave of visions hit her. The fox was getting closer yelling her name. Behind it dark creatures armed with spears were chasing her. Callie almost opened her eyes. She knew that the fox was female, and more than that she was somehow linked with her.   
  
"What do you want?" Callie whispered.  
  
"Help me!" the fox called to her.   
  
Callie jumped. The fox had answered her question. Callie ventured another. "How?"  
  
"The device in your hand!" The fox screamed. The dark creatures were almost on top of her. "Hold it to your computer!"  
  
Callie opened her eyes and spun on her computer. She held up the device. A dark blue beam of light shot forward. The next thing that happened left Callie speechless. The fox began to emerge from her screen! Callie backed away as the little figure landed gently on her floor. Callie looked at her in wonder. She was beautiful! Her fur was golden rust and her features were so small and perfect. Her face and tip of her tail were white. Callie walked toward her.   
  
"Who are you?" Callie asked the fox.

--  
  


**The Digital World...**  
  
The Dragon Vanguard squad enters the village, only to find that it isn't as populated as they believed. In fact, it seems abandoned, although not for at least an hour.  
  
"Something is wrong..." whispers Akira, looking around cautiously. He is being watched, he knows it. The squad's commander, a Knightmon, unsheathes his sword and steps forward.  
  
"Come out, you cowards! We know that you traitors are letting Digimon allied with the Phoenix Armed Forces hide here! Come out now and I _might_ let some of you _live_!" yells Knightmon, his loud voice echoing off the mountains. When no response comes, he looks back at his squad, specifically Tyrannomon.  
  
"Burn them out," he orders. Tyrannomon quickly nods, dropping the Dragon Vanguard flag and turning to one of the houses. The Digimon opens his mouth, a slight glow moving up his throat into the back of his mouth, before the fireball is finally launched into the house, reducing it to burning cinders.  
  
"If you don't surrender now, I will destroy this entire village!" yells Knightmon, motioning Tyrannomon to destroy another house. Out of the corner of his eye, Akira spots someone in the window of another house, but only a second too late as an arrow quickly whirrs through the air and into Knightmon's back.  
  
"GAAK...!" he gurgles, dropping his sword, collapsing to the ground and deleting in a shower of pixels.  
  
"It's an ambush!" yells Kuwagamon, "SCATTER!" As if on cue, a group of Gazimon and Agumon rush out of every house still standing and the battle begins. Grabbing a small sword from one of the three Agumon in his squad, Akira gets into a defensive stance.  
  
_I don't want to kill anyone, _thinks Akira as two Gazimon run at him. Closing his eyes, Veemon slashes across their chests, killing them instantly. Panicking, Tyrannomon starts shooting fireballs in all directions, only to get blasted with a hail of fireballs from the enemy Agumon and arrows from the mysterious archer, before falling to the ground dead.  
  
Akira and his three Agumon allies go back-to-back, each wielding a short sword and entering a frenetic melee against the sword-wielding Phoenix soldiers. Akira finds himself slashing wildly, killing without really trying, and knowing that he will still lose.  
  
_We're outnumbered four to one...scratch that, three to one,_ thinks Akira, as the enemy Agumon he slashed falls to the ground. Suddenly, another arrow whizzes by and flies right through the throat of one of his allies. Quickly glancing over, Akira suddenly realizes where the archer is: one of the nearby houses. Pushing through the crowd of enemies, Akira makes a run for the house, diving inside as several fireballs from the enemy Agumon explode outside. Quietly, Agumon gets up, sneaks toward a nearby door and peers inside.  
  
_Just as I thought, a Sagitarrimon!_ he thinks, as the reptilian, minotaur-like Digimon takes aim out the window again. Quickly, Akira runs in, yelling at the top of his lungs while lunging his sword at the enemy. Surprised, the Sagitarrimon turns and fires the arrow at Akira, who almost immediately stabs his sword into the Digimon's torso. For a moment, they both stand there, unmoving, before both collapsing to the ground.  
  
"Sh**..." mutters Akira, pulling the arrow out of his right shoulder, praying it wasn't poison-tipped, and then pulling his sword out of the dead carcass as the body begins to delete. For a moment, Akira considers absorbing the data, but decides not to. Slowly, he walks back to the door and looks back outside, where the battle still rages. Most of the village is aflame now, thanks to the now-dead Tyrannomon.   
  
Suddenly, a large Digimon flies over the house towards the group of Digimon, Kuwagamon. He is about to call out when he realizes what the Virus-type is planning to do, Kamikaze. Kuwagamon slams into the ground less than a meter away from the other Digimon, ramming into them before they all crash into one of the burning houses. Akira remains standing in shock at what happened, falling to his knees as a steady stream of data pours out from the burning wreckage.  
  
"No... they're dead...they're all dead..." he mutters.  The village is now dead silent, the only sound being that of the fire consuming it.  
  


--

  
**Sacramento, California**  
  
_No... they're dead...they're all dead..._  
  
"What...?" whispers David, stopping and putting a hand to his head. Just great, first the nightmares, now he's hearing voices in his head. Next thing you know, one of his teachers will be a secret agent or something. Quickly shaking the thoughts from his head, David starts walking down the sidewalk again. Since that jerk made him miss the bus at the other bus-stop, he decided that he'd might as well walk all the way home. Luckily, it isn't that far away...  
  
"I wonder if dad is home yet..." he sighs, looking to the right. In the distance he can see the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco's most prominent landmark.  
  
_And where my dad is stationed..._ thinks David, _At the Air Force Base across the bay._ Suddenly, everything starts to get blurry and David feels disoriented. He grabs his head with both hands and starts to fall over, but regains his balance, looking up only to see...  
  
"Holy sh**..." he whispers, "This is the village...from my nightmare..." David quickly spins around and spots what he's looking for: the three-foot tall, blue, and wingless dragon with the wounded shoulder. The creature doesn't notice him at first; just standing up and starting to walk forward a bit before looking up.  
  


--

  
**The Digital World...**  
  
Akira stands up and walks a few steps from the house, before suddenly feeling disoriented and falling to the ground weakly. A few seconds pass and the feeling vanishes; Akira tries to stand again, only this time he makes a startling observation.  
  
"This is concrete..." he whispers, quickly looking up. He is no longer in the burning village where the hellish battle took place, now he is in a totally different place, a peaceful city on a warm spring day. The sky is clear, not a sign of battle anywhere, nor any clue as to what happened. Akira takes a few steps before realizing that he is not alone, a...creature...unlike any he'd ever seen is standing a short distance away.  
  
"Is that...a human?" whispers Akira, "Am I in the Real World? No...that's only a legend told by old Digimon...maybe I'm dead..."

--

  
**Sacramento, California...or is it the Digital World...?**  
  
The two stand there for a few moments, silently staring at each other in utter confusion, the Digimon seeing a heaven, while the human sees a hell. Slowly, the human takes a step forward.  
  
"Are you...Akira...?" asks David.  
  
"How do you know my name?" replies Akira, not sure what is happening. Is this where they decide whether or not you can enter heaven?  
  
"I saw you...in a nightmare..." says the boy, before suddenly shaking his head, seemingly snapping out of a trance, "What the hell..?! Now I'm hallucinating?!!"  
  
"Oh, so THAT's what's going on! At least now I know I'm not dead..." says Akira, thinking out loud.  
  
"And that I'm apparently crazy..." says David, putting his hands in his pockets. A thought comes to his mind, an odd thought but still one worthy of mentioning.  
  
"Wait...who's hallucinating who?" he asks, garnering a weird yet understanding look from the Digimon.  
  
"Now I'm confused...maybe I really am dead and I'm haunting you...wherever this is..." replies Akira.  
  
"If you're dead, then why are you still bleeding?" asks David, pointing to the rivers of blood flowing down the Digimon's arm. Like an involuntary action, David takes off his backpack and opens it up, taking out a first aid kit. Having gotten into a number of fights already, his parents forced him to take the kit with him in order to perform any first aid if necessary. He opens it up and takes out some gauze, rapping it around Akira's bloody shoulder, then putting a clip on it to keep the bandage secure.  
  
"Um...thanks," says Akira, as David puts the first aid kit back in his backpack.  
  
"No problem. So what happened here? Why are all of these houses on fire?" replies David.  
  
"What fire...?" asks Akira, confused.  
  
"This whole village is on fire, how can you NOT notice it?!" yells David.  
  
"I don't see a village, I see a city and it's definitely NOT on fire!" replies Akira.  
  
"Wait...you mean you're seeing Sacramento and I'm seeing...wherever the hell this is?!" says David.  
  


--

  
**Sacramento, California**  
  
"DAVID!"  
  
"Wha...?" whispers the boy, blinking as the car horn goes off again.  
  
"David! Can you hear me?" says a female voice, it is his mother.  
  
"Mom...?" says David in confusion as he realizes that he's back in Sacramento.  
  
"David, either your hearing is getting really bad or...just get in the car," she replies.  
  
"Okay..." he replies quietly, walking around the side and getting in the passenger's seat, not noticing the slight red glow in his pocket...   
  


--

Shadow looked at his Digimon with a smirk on his face. 

"It's a new Tamer," he says, turning to his laptop.

  
"You're looking to find out more about the other tamer in the area?" 

Shadow turned away from the monitor and looked at Mist. 

"You know me all too well," he replies before turning back to the screen, "It appears I'll need more time to find him." He set the trace program to auto to find the new tamer. 

"We will find him then we'll challenge him, Mist."  Lopmon Mist's only response is a sly smile.

--

**The Digital World **  
  
The cries, the death keens, the roaring inferno.   
  
Aero Veedramon could hear it, all of it. But he did nothing. Instead, he slowly walked away from it, from the slaughter at the bottom of the dust bowl. It didn't matter if it was the Dragon Vanguard unit or the villagers that were dying. They had allowed themselves to be swept up in the war - it was their choice to pull out. There was always a choice and they had chosen to turn it down. They had chosen to fight an unnecessary battle: they all had. The Ultimate didn't look back as he picked his way carefully through the rough terrain.   
  
It was getting easier and easier to ignore the bloodshed.   
  
The dragon-type jumped the rest of the way down, his tattered scarlet wings snapping open as he floated down the sheer drop of the rocky cliff. It disgusted him to no end, how things were handled. It made him desire a change. A great one, which would affect his own existence - for he was getting tired of doing nothing, but he didn't kid himself. The Ultimate knew he wasn't strong enough to attempt any drastic actions (it was a miracle that he'd managed to digivolve to his current level): he'd surely be deleted, if not by power than by sheer numbers.  
  
_Even the fact that I'm neutral right now is going against me._  
  
Why didn't someone else see things the way he did? Someone who didn't take sides, but used force when it was needed?   
  
_Because we Digimon have grown weak. Weak in mind, weak in will, and weak in body._

--

**Sacramento, California**  
  
Ira eyed the computer screen, which was still glowing an unearthly color before him. There was something almost enticing about the throbbing light; it beckoned to him. He thought he had an idea of what it was; he knew enough about his employer and his own experiences with his jobs that he guessed it had something to do with the Digital World. Because he'd been working with his contact for quite a while, he'd been privy to some otherwise classified information - he knew what the Digital World was, what was happening there, all the whys and hows. He didn't think the glowing screen before him had anything to do with the work his contact had described to him, however. _It's far too sloppy, for one thing. _.  
  
Was this a gateway to that world? He couldn't say that he was very curious if it was - he had no burning desire to see what was on the other side if it wasn't - and the only thing that checked the silver-haired man from shutting the damned thing off was a faint thought flickering in the back of his mind.   
  
...What if there was power to be attained? You _did_ have to take risks to get what you wanted. Ira paused. True, he'd been to that world before due to missions his contact had given, though only for a few hours. He knew of ways to return back to the Real World.   
  
Ira glanced down at the device he still held in his hand. Fine. So he would check it out. But not without a weapon - he wasn't stupid, and he certainly wasn't going to go without some sort of security. His crystal eyes fell on the sheath that he had mounted on the wall - his taijiquan sword. _That's just going to have to do._ He was moderately proficient with the blade, due to years of practice. It wasn't something he'd normally use, but at the moment, he didn't have any other weapon. With a deft motion, he pulled the sheathed sword off the rack, and began typing commands into the computer as the device fairly shone like a sapphire star.   
  
_Let's see where this rabbit hole leads. Perhaps it will be worth my time._

--  
  


**The Digital World **  
  
With a small puff of dust, Aero Veedramon landed on the hard ground, his clawed feet settled smoothly as he furled his scarred wings along his back. From this distance, the sounds of the slaughter were almost inaudible, and the only sign of the battle was the thick tower of oily black smoke lazily rising up in the sky. _They must be done by now. I hope they're happy with themselves._ He scowled. One more village wiped off the map. It was pitiful. And irritating. Irritating like that low hum that was growing louder by the minute.   
  
_Wait a minute..._The Ultimate paused. Humming? He scanned the area warily with his large gray eyes. The sound was getting louder; it felt almost like his horns on his head were reverberating with it. He snarled at the humming - it was making his head hurt and the dragon-type backed away, looking away as the air before him began to twist and waver like a mirage, glowing.   
  
When the humming finally died down, Aero Veedramon tilted his head forward, able to see now that the light had faded away. His leathery lips drew back in an expression of complete surprise as he took in the small, two-legged creature standing before him. _What kind of Digimon is this?_ Perhaps an enemy, an agent of one of the factions. He had sworn up and down that he wasn't going to get involved.   
  
He started to charge forward for an attack, but the strange creature in ivory was much faster. Before he could blink, the blazing figure had him pinned against the cliff's steep surface, a shimmering sword pressed dangerously at his chest, the keen tip of the blade hovering above his heart. He could only stare in blind astonishment at the small creature, at the silver-hair as the depthless violet eyes turned up toward him:  
  
"Is this the Digital World?"

--

[Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"]

[In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face.  Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right.  Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay.  David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky.  As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back.  The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly]

[Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset.  Fal Micheal watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light.  Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same.  Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance.  Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.]

[On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky.  Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky.  Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.]

[Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears.  Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder.  Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on]

[On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously.  In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.]

[A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him.  A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.]

--

Episode 2 Cast (In Order of Arrangement)

Ira Caraway . . . . . . . . . . . Camille Vidan

AeroVeedramon

Kana Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . Renee Aarons

                Psymon

Shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shadow

                Lopmon Mist

David Milliard . . . . . . . . . . Pkmatrix

Veemon Akira

                Dragon Vanguard Soldiers

Enemy Soldiers

Jenna Milliard


	3. Welcome to the Digital World

[Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"]  
  
[A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.]  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
[We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.]  
  
[Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, then fades away.]  
  
[Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners]  
  
[Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building]  
  
[Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon]  
  
[We now see two Earths floating next to each other in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.]  
  
[Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, then Celermon walks up behind him.]  
  
[All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladinmon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.]  
  
[All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.]  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER

--

**"Welcome to the Digital World"**

**Tuesday, April 7, 2071**

**The Digital World **  
  
The Ultimate stared down in open amazement at the smaller creature, his ash-colored eyes wide as he considered what he should do. He'd certainly never seen anything like this Digimon before; maybe it (he?) had a few passing resemblances to other species, but this one was completely alien to him. And size usually wasn't a good indicator of a power level here, so he couldn't count on just eyeballing the thing. He wasn't willing to gamble that it was just a Champion, only to suffer a heart attack when it might turn out to be a Mega. Aero Veedramon's options were dwindling quite a bit – true, he might be able to snap off the creature's head, if he was fast enough, but his curiosity was starting to get in the way, annoyingly enough.   
  
_What_ is _this thing?_ He wondered, his gaze returned coolly by those glimmering amethyst eyes. Whatever it was, it was smart: he could definitely see the gleam of intelligence in the dark pupils.   
  
…Like crystal mirrors, reflecting his warped image back at him. The purple pupils were almost dazzling, set in the pale face. Aero Veedramon hesitated, torn between his immense surprise at the situation and fascination.   
  
The sword point pricked into his chest warningly and he drew in a sharp hissing breath.  
  
"I know you're not mute. Answer the question."  
  
His tail was thrashing angrily behind him – he might be a _little_ bit curious, but he decided he didn't particularly like the way he was currently being treated. He deigned not to answer, his storm-gray eyes narrowing in ire. Maybe he would chomp off a limb or so, give the white-clad creature a warning. If it was a Digimon (which he suspected), he would probably be able to delete a few In-Trainings and use the data to regain the lost limb. Still, it _would_ be painful and he warranted that the other probably didn't relish agony. His snout pulled back, revealing glistening fangs.  
  
"Don't even try it," purred the deceivingly pleasant voice, and the blade jabbed in a little deeper, enough to break skin and draw blood. Aero Veedramon instinctively drew backward, his scaled spine pressing into the hot surface of the rocky cliff – he was pinned between the orange crags and the sword. The point was digging into his chest uncomfortably and his jaws involuntarily snapped shut with a _click_ of teeth meeting each other: in the process of doing so, he'd done the brilliant thing and bitten his serpentine tongue. Coppery blood was coating the roof of the holy dragon-type's mouth and he made a face, like he'd tasted something bitter. "I suggest you don't make any false moves, otherwise I might accidentally slip. I think, from this position, that I'm much faster than you: you'll be deleted before you can kill me."  
  
Aero Veedramon glared down at the creature, not sure what to make of it. One side of him was railing at the sheer _gall_ of the creature: how _dare_ he do this to him, an Ultimate! It almost made his vision cloud red with rage. It had been foolish of him to stop and stare at the "gateway" (or whatever if had been) but that didn't mean that he had to sit here and take this insult to his being without a fight…   
  
…Yet another side of him couldn't help but applaud the Digimon (?) for his audacity, couldn't help but admire his daring. And it was true, what the other said – he could hear the logic in his words. Besides, the sword's blade was starting to get pretty painful where it was sinking into the leathery skin on his chest, pressing dangerously over his heart.   
  
With grudging respect, he reluctantly said, "What is it that demands such an assault on me? And who dares this attack?"  
  
The sword didn't waver. "My name means nothing to you. Is this the Digital World?"  
  
"Yes, it is," Aero Veedramon replied tersely. Not only was he starting to dislike/admire the creature, his wings were starting to fall asleep on him.  
  
"Are the factions still fighting?"  
  
The holy dragon-type grunted in scorn, starting to make a gesture at the land beyond the cliff – the appliance of more pressure on the blade made him think better of the action. He instinctively squirmed away from the point of his pain. "They are." Aero Veedramon growled in the back of his throat, the words rumbling from the depths of his thick chest. "Beyond that cliff, the Dragon Vanguard has just razed a nearby village."  
  
Whatever reaction he had been expecting, he didn't get it. He was mildly astonished to see that the pale face held only apathy: no sympathies, no murmur of apologies, no sorrow, nothing. The creature didn't care if Digimon were "dying". He certainly didn't care enough to find a better way to get information from the Ultimate. It struck him that the man was rather ruthless in getting the answers he desired. Certainly not barbaric, for there was a certain grace with which he chose his words and moved. He had no more time to reflect as another question was fired at the trapped dragon-type:  
  
"Are _you_ part of a faction?" The head of hair shone like molten silver in the sun's light, nearly blinding him. It suddenly occurred to him that it was a very hot day: a bad day to be up and moving about – the heat tended to play tricks on the brain. But he doubted this had anything to do with simply being out in the sun's rays too long. _Too bad._ The creature then said something that sounded like a name, then something that resembled another, different name.  
  
"No: I desire no part in their meaningless war. As for those names, I have not heard of them: they are unfamiliar to me."  
  
There was a pause as the white creature thought this over. Apparently he was satisfied with this bit of information, for the sword point's pressure lightened a little bit, though it never left the Digimon's chest. Aero Veedramon stared down at the alien figure, wondering if he should be alarmed. He was still in a very awkward position and he hoped the other wasn't going to be a bastard and shove the keen blade into his chest: he wasn't looking forward to being deleted. Well, not _too_ much, because now that he thought about it, there were some perks to such a fate.   
  
One being that he wouldn't have to put up with the factions and their wars if he wasn't permitted the awareness of "living". Or his own, rather purposeless existence, his inability to make much of a difference concerning the things he hated so much.   
  
"What sector is this?" The white creature asked.   
  
A snort as Aero Veedramon obediently rattled it off, the warm air exhaled in a puff that ruffled the prematurely silver hair. The sun beat down on the two and the Ultimate was suddenly aware of how silent it was now – the cries from the village beyond had died down and were out of his hearing. His ash eyes were fixed on the white-clad figure; perhaps it was the increasing heat as the day went on, but he was starting to feel a bit strange. His large pupils flicked from the figure to something glowing in the pocket of the spotless trench coat. Despite his indignation and his fury, his fascination with the creature was starting to grow: he could feel a strange attraction to him, something pulling him. There was something about him, something that made his voice so compelling – the Digimon was answering his questions more easily now, his spitting, angry tone dying away until it had faded away altogether …  
  
_…Is this what I was created for? To be ruled by such a smaller creature?_   
  
_…But I can_ sense _the call. It's his voice I hear; is it his words, his presence that drowns out the cries from the village? Is he that powerful that he makes me deaf?_  
  
He certainly didn't believe in destiny. Such things were just old wives' tales: the white-creature (no, _man_, he realized out of the blue with a start) didn't come here because they were fated to meet. He had come for another reason – Aero Veedramon just happened to be in his way. A twinge of unreasonable jealousy. Would the dragon-type not feel the cold presence in that strange way if he hadn't been where he was when the humming began? It was strangely comforting, that "coolness". It spoke to him of purpose, of meaning. In a silent way it reassured him that he could be blinded to the massacres.   
  
That he _could_ make an impact on others. He didn't have to sit around and watch any longer.  
  
The Digimon was jolted back into awareness as he felt the sword tip poke into his skin. Aero Veedramon blinked in chagrin. Because he'd been so caught up thinking those strange thoughts, he didn't realize immediately that the human was done questioning him. He stared blankly at the slender man that he was towering over.  
  
The man simply repeated what he had said – it was a statement, not a question. "Show me where the nearest computer terminal is."  
  
Aero Veedramon started to say no, but for some reason, the opposite answer came from his snout in a low snarl that held wary acceptance. "If you'd very kindly pull that sword away from my chest, I'd gladly do so. I have a thing against being skewered, if you know what I mean."  
  
Unexpectedly, the human laughed, throwing back his head as he chuckled. The response pleased him. It seemed ridiculous to the dragon-type that he'd ever thought of attacking the graceful figure in the sweeping trench coat.   
  
"Very well," with a quick motion, the steel was sheathed in a scabbard, its ornate ebony handle protruding from the hilt up to the pommel. With a sigh, the larger form of the Digimon dropped down from his former position, shaking out his wings with a creak of muscles. Somewhere, a tendon popped – the tingling in the nerves of his wing membrane was telling him that he'd probably be hurting in a little while: the puncture hole near his chest was stinging in the warm air. The Ultimate glanced at the human, his horned snout lowered so that he was nearly eye-to-eye with the smaller creature.   
  
"I am Aero Veedramon, an Ultimate Holy-Dragon type," he rumbled in way of introduction. Perhaps it would benefit him if he went along with this strange being. Right now, his cold presence was a bit refreshing, in an odd little way, and he decided that maybe the heat _wasn't_ so bad.   
  
With little effort, the lithe young man swung himself up onto the Digimon's back, settling himself down between the spikes lining Aero Veedramon's spin. However, the Ultimate didn't fool himself into believing that he was getting off so freely – he could faintly feel the icy cold flat of the sword pressed against the back of his neck, its razor edge hovering over his skin. So the man wasn't going to let himself be taken unawares. The dragon-type craned his head, twisting his snout around so that he could at least _see_ the human. He was returned with a mockery of a smile.  
  
"Ira Carraway."  
  


--

Tokyo, Japan 

Callie slowly reached out towards the fox. She gently caressed one of the pointed ears. The small creature groaned and then groggily lifted her head to look at Callie.   
  
"Callie?" the fox had a voice like silk. Callie shivered a little the sound.  
  
"How do you know my name?" she asked.  
  
The fox pushed herself up and sat Indian style across from Callie. "I've always known your name," it said, "It was told to me a long time ago...I don't remember who told me though...Maybe you did." She looked into Callie's eyes.   
  
Callie couldn't help but look back into the green eyes that matched her's so well. "How could I have done that? I've never met you before," Callie replied.  
  
The fox tilted her head. "Somehow I think we have. I used to have this dream where a little girl would come and play with me. That was back when I was just a Psuedomon."  
  
Callie stared at the fox. "I used to have that same dream...Only that definitely wasn't you. Mine just had the ears like a fox, and you are definitely a fox."  
  
The fox smiled. "Actually I'm a Psymon, and that was me. That was my baby stage so to speak."  
  
Callie looked at Psymon. "Psymon? What are you, some sort of hybrid escaped from a lab?"  
  
Psymon shook her head. "No, silly! I'm a Digimon."  
  
"Digimon?" Callie looked confused.  
  
Psymon nodded her head. "Yup. And you must be my partner!"

--

**Sacramento, California**  
  
Dropping his backpack, David falls face-first onto his bed, more out of relief than exhaustion. Finally, Spring Break has started, no more schoolwork, no more annoying brats. He doesn't even have to deal with his little sister; she's gone on a trip with her friend down to LA. David rolls over and stares up at the ceiling, his mind wandering for a moment.  
  
_That hallucination...it was too real._ he thinks. David didn't tell his mother about what happened, in fact, he didn't tell her about the fight either. But...that had to be the strangest thing to ever happen to him.  
  
_Maybe I should've listened to Mr. Carraway and went to the guidance counselor. At least I wouldn't have had to beat the crap out of Lukas..._ David thinks, getting up and walking over to his desk on the other side of the room. He opens the first drawer and takes out an odd piece of headgear: his old goggles. He used to wear them when he was little, but as he grew older (and his peers more immature), he stopped in order to prevent further ridicule. The memories are somewhat painful; two straight years of being annoyed by several of his classmates forced him to mature faster than everyone else.  
  
_Idiots...those jerks could care less about what others are feeling. I bet they don't even care so many people are miserable all over the world, as long as they are happy here they don't care about anything,_ thinks David, just as his mom walks into his bedroom.  
  
"David..." she says.  
  
"Hm?" he replies, turning to her.  
  
"I have to get back to the Hospital, it's an emergency. You're going to have to cook yourself dinner..." his mother explains guiltily, "I'm sorry..."  
  
"For what? Get going!  People need you!" David replies, a bit confused as to why she always does this. Everytime she gets a call from the Hospital, she immediately comes and apologizes to him, much to his annoyance. If she has to go help some people, why does she even bother with him?  
  
_She's too worrisome..._ he thinks.  
  
"Bye, I shouldn't be too long," she replies, rushing from the room. A few moments later, David hears the car pull out of the driveway and speed off into the distance.

--

**Somewhere in the Real World…**

"Hey Garfield! Take a look at this!" BlackAgumon, in his high-pitched voice, said to the serious looking man in the driver's seat of the APC.  
  
"Can't right now, pal. This is a particularly treacherous terrain we're driving over. I'll stop soon. I need a break anyway," Garfield Magnus said as the black APC slowed to a halt.  
  
The two characters, one a tall man wearing a black hat and black coat, the other a 3 ft. tall dark gray lizard, stepped out of the APC to take a look at the small machine.  
  
"I have no clue what this thing is," Garfield sighed as he pushed some buttons on the Digivice.  
  
"Let me try!" BlackAgumon said, reaching for it.  
  
"All right. Give it a shot. We've got a long way to the next town," Garfield told him as he stepped back in.  
  
BlackAgumon followed, pushing several of the buttons. It wasn't until a few minutes later that BlackAgumon accomplished something with his button pushing.  
  
"Hey! Hey Garfield! I think something happened!" BlackAgumon exclaimed.  
  
"Like what? It wouldn't happen to be a map, would it?" Garfield asked.  
  
"It's something like that. Take a look!" BlackAgumon exclaimed as he shoved the Digivice, now showing a blip on its screen, in Garfield's face.  
  
"Yikes! Don't do that!" Garfield shouted as he swerved around a tree he almost didn't see due to the large paw in his face and brought the APC to a halt.  
  
"Sorry, but now look!" BlackAgumon shouted.  
  
"All right. Just calm down, partner. Why don't you go find some food around here or something while I check this out?" Garfield suggested.  
  
He took a look at the Digivice and examined it closely.  
  
_"It's some kind of radar I guess. I don't know what this blip is though. Guess we'll just have to find out."_ Garfield thought to himself.  
  
"Hey BlackAgumon! Come on back!" Garfield shouted. No reply. "BlackAgumon?" he shouted again.  
  
He quickly grabbed his sword and hopped out of the APC. He hopped on top and looked around. He suddenly saw a flash of light and heard a loud yip, as if a wolf had suddenly burst to flames. A few moments later, BlackAgumon stepped out from a bush.  
  
"Sorry 'bout that. Had to burn a wolf while I was eating some nuts," BlackAgumon explained.  
  
"It's all right. I figured out what that machine's doing. And we're going to find out what it's showing," Garfield said as he started the APC up.  
  
As soon as BlackAgumon was in, the APC started heading for the mysterious blip on the Digivice. In a half hour, they'd finally reached their destination: a small pagoda. The two hopped out.  
  
"This is strange. What's a pagoda doing in the middle of a forest? Especially since this is North America and not the Far East or wherever pagodas usually are," Garfield said inquisitively.  
  
BlackAgumon walked around to the back and opened the door that was there. "Wow. There's some kind of swirly blue thing back here," he said.  
  
"Think we should go through it?" Garfield asked.  
  
"Sure! It'll be an adventure!" BlackAgumon shouted.  
  
"All right. To the APC! We'll drive through in it!" Garfield exclaimed heroically.  
  
"The door's too small though," BlackAgumon noted.  
  
"That won't stop us!" Garfield said as he ran to the APC. BlackAgumon followed.  
  
Moments later, the APC edged closer and closer to the portal when...  
  
_BOOM!_   
  
...The APC was sucked into the portal and sent to another magical world!  
  
"Do you recognize this place?" asked Garfield.  
  
"Nope. Too many sparkles and....weird looking guys in white armor," BlackAgumon said as a group of Stormtroopers began firing on the APC.  
  
The APC quickly went through the portal again. This time, it was a different magical world.  
  
"I recognize this place! It's the Digital World where I was born!" BlackAgumon said.  
  
"Fascinating. Really. Now then, how do we get back to Earth?" Garfield asked.  
  
"Well, I guess we have to do some sort of quest with some other people," BlackAgumon shrugged.  
  
Garfield blinked a couple of times in disbelief. "Thank goodness the APC is electric. All right. We better get searching. What are we searching for?" Garfield asked.  
  
"Probably some children walking around with Digimon. That or some kind of evil force," BlackAgumon said.  
  
"And thus begins a quest that I got myself into. Oh well. You know what they say 'Got in, get out.' " Garfield quoted.  
  
"I've never heard anyone say that before," BlackAgumon commented.  
  
"Quiet you," Garfield snipped.  
  
The APC began moving.   
  


--

**Sacramento, California**  
  
_This is as good as over._ David thinks with a smirk, _I've got him cornered and outnumbered!_ David decides not to go easy on his opponent, attacking the enemy territory with his strongest adjacent one. The card screen comes up and he picks his favorite tactic, cannons center and cavalry double-flank. With this finished, all he has to do is sit back and watch as the two armies clash.  
  
_Idiot, he's trying a frontal assault AGAIN? Damn, these beginners never learn..._ he thinks as the enemy troops find themselves surrounded by cavalry and under assault by cannon fire. Within moments, the battle is over and the game is won.  Yet another victory for the "Digital Khan".  
  
_Heh, Internet Risk is so easy now. Maybe I should try Axis & Allies...nah, too easy. Eh, I'll just play solitaire...  _Looking around the room, David's eyes fall upon his goggles once again; he'd brought them with him for some reason. And, for similarly no reason, David picks them up and puts them on, just above his forehead. A high-pitched ring signals an instant message has been received.  
  
_Hm? Who's this? "NeoS9"? Eh, might as well see what this guy wants..._ David thinks, clicking "Okay".  
  
NeoS9: The Digital Khan, I presume.  
  
DkMatrix79: Hello. And you are...?  
  
NeoS9: A friend. You are the best Strategy game player in America. I am your European counterpart.  
  
DkMatrix79: Wow, I didn't know I was that well known.  
  
NeoS9: Ah, you are quite infamous indeed. In fact, I have some friends who would LOVE to meet you.  
  
DkMatrix79: Is that so? Are they also experienced Strat gamers?  
  
NeoS9: Indeed. We make up a small clan of sorts, made up of us elite strategy masters. We call ourselves the Alias, and in fact, I have contacted you on behalf of one of my associates. He challenges you to a match.  
  
DkMatrix79: A challenge?  
  
NeoS9: Yes. If you win this match, we will let you into our elite group.  
  
DkMatrix79: Hm...an interesting proposal. Okay, I accept. ^_^  
  
NeoS9: Good, he is most pleased. I wish you luck in your upcoming battle.  
  
DkMatrix79: Thanks. By the way, when does he want to start?  
  
NeoS9: Immediately.  
  
At that exact moment, the power suddenly goes out in the house.  
  
"Ah c'mon! Not now!" David shouts, slamming the keyboard, "Just great...now the Alias are going to think I'm a coward!" David glances towards the door, just as a thick cloud of mist begins to pour through.  
  
"What the hell?" he yells, jumping up quickly and knocking the chair over. Within moments, the mist fills up the room, burning at David's eyes.  
  
"Ugh..." David grunts, moving the goggles over his eyes. Looking around, he notices that the fog has apparently cut off all of the light in the room...except for a dull glow from his pocket. Confused, David reaches inside and pulls out an small device with an LCD screen.  
  
"What is this thing?" he whispers, as it suddenly begins to glow brighter. Strangely, the computer's monitor turns itself back on, a dull glow emanating from the black screen as lines and lines of computer data suddenly appear.  
  
"Okay...WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!!" yells David, beginning to freak out as the screen once again becomes blank, replaced by one line:  
  
**Digital Gateway Installation Complete. Run Program.**  
  
At that moment, the light from the strange device overtakes everything and David Milliard, the Digital Khan, ceases to exist on the Physical plain.

--

[Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"]

[In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face.  Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right.  Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay.  David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky.  As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back.  The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly]

[Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset.  Fal Micheals watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light.  Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same.  Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance.  Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.]

[On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky.  Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky.  Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.]

[Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears.  Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder.  Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on]

[On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously.  In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.]

[A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him.  A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.]

--

Episode 3 Cast (In Order of Arrangement)

Ira Caraway . . . . . . . . . . . Camille Vidan

AeroVeedramon

Kana Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . Renee Aarons

                Psymon

David Milliard . . . . . . . . . . Pkmatrix

                Jenna Milliard

                NeoS9

Garfield Magnus . . . . . . . . Draco Starcloud

                Black Agumon


	4. Think You Can Take Us?

[Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"]  
  
[A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.]  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
[We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.]  
  
[Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, then fades away.]  
  
[Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners]  
  
[Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building]  
  
[Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon]  
  
[We now see two Earths floating next to eachother in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.]  
  
[Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, then Celermon walks up behind him.]  
  
[All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladinmon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.]  
  
[All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.]  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER

--

**"Think You Can Take Us?"**

**Wednesday, April 8, 2071**

**Newport Beach, Los Angeles, California**

Newport Beach. The only thing in LA that actually looked peaceful, even at this time in the morning. It was one of the largest beaches in LA, so it attracted a lot of attention, in the daytime at least. However, it was now 5:00 in the morning, everyone was either working or sleeping, leaving the beech cleared for the daytime crowd.   
  
"WOO-HOO!"   
  
And leaving it wide open for the Early Bird to pick the worm.  
  
Fal Michael surfed the biggest wave he could find at 5:00 in the morning. When he should be sleeping and preparing for the private school his mom (figures) enlisted him in, but he could live skipping a day of school. There was a test today in European Socialism anyway, and only that class had any real work, so what was the point of going to school. He could live without learning about the European Union's government, and Mr. Stein was a drag anyway.  
  
"Hey, Fal, ready to pull in yet?" said a voice that sounded like a roar. Under him, a long, dark blue reptilian creature surfed alongside, curling his body up and down to swim, like a ribbon.  
  
"What's wrong, Seadramon? I thought you liked swimming at this time in the morning."  
  
"I need a donut!" a sweat drop formed on Seadramon's ice-blue mask. In response, like your typical anime, Fal fell off his surfboard and into the water. He then got back up, and watched Seadramon's massive head pull up directly in front of him.  
  
"All right, ALL RIGHT! We'll pull in, just don't knock me off my surfboard."  
  
"Sorry," Seadramon whimpered. Ironic to see a rather large sea dragon whimpering at a mere mortal.  
  
"Don't be, it was my fault anyway," he got back up on his surfboard and started to paddle his way to shore. Seadramon followed, skimming the water rather than ribbon swimming like he usually did.  
  
On shore, Fal got up to his Ford Mustang 2063 Model and put on his Hawaiian shirt. Seadramon crawled on the land with his flippers, and immediately de-digivolved into Serpentmon. He then hopped into the convertible.  
  
"Krispy Kremes?" Serpentmon spoke out.  
  
Fal shrugged, and then drove off.  
  
**A second later…**  
  
Fal now stood out in the nearest Krispy Kreme restaurant to Newport, with the now-Serpentmon sitting on a counter, looking like a stuffed animal as he usually did.  
  
"Ok, I got you crème filled, you happy?" Fal spoke, in a rather ticked off tone.  
  
Serpentmon merely slithered across the table at the box of a dozen donuts. "What's wrong, Fal? You sound rather miffed."  
  
"Sorry, Serp, I just get embarrassed when I fall off my surfboard, that's all." He sat down, and watched the snake-like Digimon start to eat up the box. Conversation wasn't one of Serpentmon's points when he was digging in, no sir.  
  
While he was eating, however, he pulled out a locket that was tucked under his white shirt. It was gold circular piece, with a picture of a girl on it. Not just any girl, though, she was actually pretty cute, if you looked through the tomboyish appearance of no makeup or eye wear.  
  
Serpentmon looked up, crème was smeared over his jaw, "Her again? Don't you ever get tired of looking at that locket, Fal?"  
  
"I can't say no, since she moved away a while back." Fal looked at the locket still, "Kana..."  
  
He started to blush, as he thought of the memories he had. Serpentmon shook his head, "Humans, I've been here for a year and still can't understand them..." he muttered, "So, were you and Kana…y'know.."  
  
"Wha?" Fal looked up, "Oh no, we were childhood friends, moved away when I was 15. I think she's in Tokyo now..." Fal shrugged, putting the locket back. _That went quick_, "So, what should we do today, since I'm not going to school."  
  
"Not going to school? Isn't that against your mom's rules?"  
  
"Yeah, but who cares? She's not exactly the loving type anyway," Fal responded, "I think a trip to the arcade would be good, they have that new World War II Air-to-Air game out."  
  
He leaned forward, "Picture this, 16 choose-able airplanes, extreme 'real-life' graphics and so many good weapons to blow stuff up with!" 

Serpentmon wasn't impressed, "So?"  
  
He forgot, Serpentmon being a former Digimon of the 'Dragon Vanguard', was used to all this, "C'mon, you've never played an arcade game before. You only got to play my U-Boat simulator on my computer."  
  
"Yeah, well, I dunno, air combat isn't my style..." Serpentmon shrugged.  
  
"Besides, I made a bet with Kyouto; I have to be there. I just need your help in the cockpit," Fal spoke the truth aloud.  
  
"Figures, he's the only one you ever make bets with. Why?"  
  
"He's the only guy who's been an actual challenge to me. He's my God-forsaken rival!"  
  
"Ah yes, your competitive nature, how I forget..." Serpentmon said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing.  Ok, fine, how much is the wager?"  
  
"80 dollars."  
  
Serpentmon shrugged, as far as an armless, shoulder-less snake could, "Alright, I can use some of that money anyway," he held out his flipper, "50-50?"  
  
"50-50." Fal shook the snake's flipper.  
  


--

**The Digital World**

With an audible crack, the large wings unfurled from Aero Veedramon's scaly side. Ira was careful to keep his legs pressed tightly against the Digimon, lowering his face a little so he wouldn't risk getting buffeted by them. He was a bit surprised at the change in the dragon-type, but he decided he wasn't going to puzzle over it. Better if the Ultimate was going to be willing; it made his position much easier, and less awkward for the both of them.   
  
"The closest terminal _used_ to be beyond the cliff," Aero Veedramon commented. He dipped his large, wedged-shaped head, the spiraling horns bobbing. "But it's probably destroyed."  
  
"Then where's the next closest one?"  
  
Ira held on tightly as the dragon Digimon broke out into an easy lope, his gait rolling as he dropped to all fours. Despite his size, Aero Veedramon was quite fast and it showed as he began to speed up. The dry air rippled through the almost opaque wing membrane as he ran, rising up into a whistle as he began to flap his wings.   
  
"I'll take you there - it's a few miles away, near the City of Machines."  
  
A sarcastic thought. _How utterly quaint._  
  
The Ultimate lowered his serpentine head as his wings pumped furiously - bunching his heavily muscled hind legs, he pushed himself up from the ground, the dry dusty stones drawing away as he bounded into the sky. His wings beat powerfully at the listless air; he was struggling to gain altitude. After a few dangerous dips, Aero Veedramon managed to pull away from the rocky terrain, his thick tail snaking out behind him as he soared higher.   
  


--

  
"HEY!"  
  
"Crap..." mutters Akira, staring at the three Digimon blocking the road, two Gazimon and a Betamon.  
  
"Your money or your data," hisses one of the Gazimon, standing about half a foot taller than him, menacingly.  
  
"I don't have any money," replies Akira, silently cursing himself for leaving his sword back at the village. The other Gazimon eyes him, then looks past him towards the pillar of black smoke in the distance.  
  
"You're one of the soldiers that raised that village. What is your allegiance?" he asks.  
  
"Dragon Vanguard..." the Veemon replies. At this moment, he doesn't feel like the lucky Digimon his type is supposed to be.  
  
"Wrong answer!" Gazimon yells, punching him in the stomach and pushing him to the ground. The other Gazimon smirks at him.  
  
"Heh, you think you can just enter Phoenix territory and live? Stupid freshie," he says as all three Digimon begin to close in on the fallen the Veemon.  
  
_Oh f***...so this is it. I don't get killed in battle, I'm murdered by some crazy Phoenix supporters...._ thinks Akira, as the Betamon suddenly stops.  
  
"Hey, what's that humming noise?" he asks. The two Gazimon stop and look around, even Akira notices it now. Suddenly, the air behind the Veemon begins to warp and grow bright, unlike anything the Digimon have ever seen before.  
  
"What the...?" says the tall Gazimon, as a bright flash of light erupts from the occurrence, revealing a strange creature.  
  
"Is that...a Digimon...?" says the other Gazimon, as the creature moves a pair of goggles from his eyes and above his forehead slowly, as if in shock.  
  
"Oh sh**...I must be hallucinating again..." it whispers. Akira immediately recognizes the voice and turns to see the thing.  
  
"I-it's YOU!" Akira yells, half in relief and half in shock. David looks down at him, raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Akira...? What the...?" says David.  
  
"Hey, who are you?!" yells the tall Gazimon, "Are you part of the Dragon Vanguard?"  
  
"The WHAT?!" replies David, staring at the Gazimon as if he'd grown a third head, besides the fact that he's never seen such a strange creature in his life. To him, the Gazimon looks like some sort of giant, demented rabbit.  
  
"Which of the four Digimon Armies you allied to?" he asks again, only more menacingly.  
  
"I don't have a clue as to what you're talking about. I'm not allied to any military organization," David replies, trying to snap out of his shock and sound serious.  
  
"Heh, a neutral. You're just as bad as this fool. We'll kill you both, then absorb your data!" says the other Gazimon. The three Digimon step forward again, preparing to strike, as Akira gets back up and puts himself in between the trio and the human.  
  
"Get out of here...I'll hold them off..." he whispers, "Thanks for helping me, now is my chance to repay the favor."  
  
"What? But...they'll kill you," replies David.  
  
"Go ahead, run, we'll still find you. After we kill your friend here, we'll find you and absorb your data too," says the second Gazimon sinisterly. Akira can't take it anymore.  
  
"GO!" he yells, ramming the Gazimon to the ground. The taller Gazimon kicks him off, then raises his fist to punch down, when a strong hand suddenly grabs his wrist.  
  
"You messed with the wrong guy," says David coldly, jerking him back and kicking him in the gut, sending the Digimon skidding across the ground. The other Gazimon looks up to see what's happening, only to get a chop to the side of his neck. Before the Betamon can do anything, Akira grabs him and it gets punted like a football. The taller Gazimon, clutching his stomach, looks up at David as if he's a wild beast.  
  
"Who...are you...?" he mumbles painfully. David pulls off his goggles and stuffs them in one of his jacket's pockets.  
  
"David Milliard, the Digital Khan," he replies, "You attack either Akira or I ever again, and you WILL regret it."  
  
"Uh...let's get out of here," says Akira, starting to continue walking the way he was originally going.  
  
"Gladly," David replies, walking past the groaning trio and beside his new friend.

--

_This certainly doesn't look like the forest that I saw the last time I was here._ Ira Carraway mused. They'd been flying over the parched land for almost twenty minutes now, and it didn't look like the scorched earth was going to pass under them and vanish behind the two for quite a while. Well, it was pretty stupid to think that he'd end up in the same spot – the coordinates had been pre-programmed at the time, thanks to his contact – and it was expected that he'd end up in some randomly generated spot. At least he hadn't been dumped somewhere worse, like an ocean; _that_ would have certainly pissed him off to no end. He didn't really need a computer terminal to return back to the Real World, but he'd some things he wanted to attend to. Personally.   
  
_And this time I won't have that idiot contact peeping over my shoulder._  
  
The silver-haired man shifted in his seat. He'd removed his glasses before they'd ascended into the air (he didn't fancy the idea of them shattering to the ground racing beneath them, because he didn't want to waste money buying another pair), tucking the small frames into a pocket of his trench coat. Curiously enough, it had been the same one that he'd stowed away that strange device, and, on a whim, he'd taken it out, turning it over in his free hand. It was a bizarre little contraption, he had to admit. An oblong of black plastic, its casing lined by a gray strip – it could fit snugly in the palm of his hand. Ira vaguely was reminded of the tools he'd been occasionally given by his contact: of course, those things had been an eyesore, a clunky object that was almost painful to look at. Now that he thought about it, they had looked very crude compared to the device he now held in his hand. _It must be similar to what I was given._   
  
Well, he supposed it didn't really matter. As long as it didn't blow him to pieces, he was fine. _And if it's anything like what I think it is, it should become rather helpful._ Stupid of him not to realize the similarities before – he was getting careless now. He'd have to be more alert in the future, Ira reminded himself sharply. Otherwise it could get ugly. His lips almost turned up in a scornful smile. Well, it would for his employers, anyway: _he_ made it his business to cut any contracts or deals if it was necessary. Working with the mystery employer only happened to benefit him, for the moment.   
  
Getting caught wasn't exactly on his agenda.  
  
The young man touched one of the buttons; a beep was emitted from the ebony device as the LCD screen blinked on. It was a small digital display – the lighting was horrendous – but, tilting it a little bit to catch the sunlight, he was able to make out the images appearing on the surface. It looked like the _on_ button automatically brought up a Digimon encyclopedia, of some sorts. Right now, it was showing him the stats of Aero Veedramon (apparently it picked up the closest digital monster in its range), a hologram flickering on with the Ultimate's 3D image as the information scrolled below it in fine text:   
  
** Aero Veedramon. Ultimate Level Digimon, Holy Dragon Type.   
  
Age: 13 (Digimon of this type tend to mature at a more rapid rate than most others)  
  
Gender Programming: Male  
  
Attribute: Vaccine  
  
Family: Wing Guardians  
  
Code Number: 6661999  
  
Special Attacks: Magnum Crush, V Wing Blade, Protect**  
  
There was a curious symbol floating near the transparent hologram, a smoky gray ring that was interlocked with a pitch-black one. Ira didn't bother to attempt figuring it out now: it was only a curiosity, at most. The whistling dry winds blew his long white hair in his eyes as he idly went through the other options of the device. Nothing spectacular, although there were some helpful things – he found that he could access a map of the Digital World, as well as something that almost resembled radar. The muscles under him shifted as Aero Veedramon glanced over his shoulder at his passenger:  
  
"What, may I ask, is _that_?"  
  
Ira was feeling fairly satisfied now. It couldn't hurt to show the Ultimate what he had; he still had the drawn taijiquan sword pressed against the back of the creature's scaly neck for security and he wasn't worried that the Digimon would try to pull any tricks. Ira showed him the black device.   
  
Aero Veedramon's slightly clouded gray eyes lit up with recognition as his pupils took a moment to focus on the small object. "That looks almost like a Digivice." He blinked, his voice rumbling, "But it looks a bit different than what I expected."  
  
So _that_ was the name. He'd been wondering what it had been called. _Isn't he the bubbling fountain of information today?_ Ira chuckled mentally, though his pale face was just as expressionless as it had been when he'd first encountered the dragon-type. He thumbed the black Digivice off, tucking it into its pocket again. The reassuring weight settled once again the depths of his blindingly white trench coat, and nestling comfortably next to his glasses.  
  
"The City of Machines is visible now." Aero Veedramon turned forward again: his low, growling words were thrown back to the white-clad figure perched between his beating wings, perfectly audible. The other was clearly curious, wondering just what the human was going to do once he found a computer terminal: Ira could somehow _feel_ the emotion in the back of his mind, as well as the Digimon's reluctant fascination with the man. "They do not treat neutral Digimon – such as I – very kindly. I will have to land in the outskirts." There was a pause, as he seemed to think better of something. "But I will accompany you: of course, if that is what _you_ wish me to do."  
  
_So he wants to come with me_ Ira mused. This could be helpful – and he knew that an Ultimate Digimon was fairly powerful; few would think of attacking the holy dragon-type without some advantage.  
  
"Once we set down, I'll decide," he said coolly. The muscles under him shivered as the large creature shuddered slightly at the cold tone, muttering something in a different tongue, as if to comfort itself. The scarred wings creaked as they reached toward the sun, dipped down toward the barren earth only to rise up again. The Ultimate hesitated, slowing down as the dark mass of the city came into sight.  
  
"…There's a strange scent in the air." Seeing the human made no objection of him doing so, he continued, "Something powerful. A few smells that bear slight resemblance to yours."  
  
"I don't want anyone else intruding on my business," Ira ordered quickly. He had quickly guessed that Aero Veedramon was referring to humans. Perhaps his mystery employer dispatched them – if that was the case, he didn't want a run in, especially if (from the sounds of it) they were packing some heavy firepower. "Fly lower and avoid being seen."  
  
The twin horns bobbed in understanding, although the dragon-type didn't answer. Ira leaned closer to the warmth of the Digimon's skin, pressed himself forward so it would be difficult for any onlookers in the distance to notice him. At this closer proximity, the emotions that seemed to float up from the creature were stronger: the silver-haired man could almost read them like a book, for they were clearer now. _His hatred is slowly burning – he despises me for his humiliation._ He realized with scorn. _…Yet, Aero Veedramon wants to follow me. For some reason, he craves to hear_ my _order._ It didn't matter that the Ultimate was doing his best to hide his confusion over the human in white – pointless, actually, considering the fact that Ira was somehow privy to the other's mess of emotions and thoughts.  
  
_Malleable._ Just like the rest of them. But, strangely enough, Ira found that he couldn't disregard the Digimon. So he said nothing more, silent as his expression turned thoughtful.   
  
****

**--**

**Legends Video Arcade, LA, California**  
  
Besides the legendary Newport Beach, Fal's favorite hangout was Legends. It was a large arcade, 5 floors of video games, each divided by type and genre. The place was always loud, and if not for school, crowded. However, now it was almost empty, with only staff and the cafe manager actually working at this time of day. Fal walked in, with Serpentmon flung over his shoulder like a stuffed animal.  
  
"You're going to need a keycard to play any games, son..." a young, probably 17 year old, employee told Fal.  
  
Fal held up his keycard, and continued on. The Arcade sure looked a bit peaceful, even though there was a few people playing the games. This was a dream come true. Not only did he have the pleasure of ditching the dullest class in LA, but he also had the entire day to play games. Especially the game across from him.  
  
_Air-to-Air_  
  
The machine consisted of two mockpit simulators, painted black with fraud kill marks and art painted on the sides.  He jumped in the mockpit and activated the game...

**--**

  
A bright light engulfs the roof as the air above the center of the building begins to warp, whirling as if it were water, as the four beings pass through the gateway between the Digital and Physical plains. Within seconds, the light subsides, in its place stand four tall and black Digimon: Dark Lizamon.  
  
"We're here," says one of them, surveying the area, "The area is clear."  
  
"Where is he? The commander said he was here," complains another, as his commander glares back at him.  
  
"Are you truly that dense? We're on top of some building, and the rogue is obviously somewhere inside. It is our duty, as elite soldiers of the Dragon Vanguard, to retrieve him and make sure he returns to our world," says the commander. He looks down and immediately fires a fireball into the roof, blowing a huge hole inside, before leaping down...   
  


--

"What the?" Fal crawled out of the mockpit and looked out at the blown down roof. Serpentmon was neatly coiled under the seat, so nobody could see him. Not that anyone would try and mess with a 9-foot long snake. It was obvious, whoever attacked was after him, by the look of fear on his face.  
  
"Alright!" Growled the Dark Lizamon that leaped down, "We're are looking for our friend, he goes by two names. Serpentmon or Seadramon. If we get him, you can all go home safe and sound." the lizard snarled. A Tyrannomon and a Demidevimon dropped down beside her. The clerk and whoever else was in the arcade just froze, as these behemoths patrolled the arcade.  
  
Fal stared back at Serpentmon, "Relax, buddy, I'll keep them away."  
  
It was true, Serpentmon was a former Dragon Vanguard Digimon, who had traveled back to the 'human' world to escape the war that plagued the digital. While it was tough to adjust to humanity, it was much easier than fighting an ongoing war. Fal respected that.  
  
"You..." the Demidevimon flapped in Fal's direction, "Who are you talking to?"  
  
"Just my pet...dog, Spot. Why?" Fal asked, casually.  
  
"Since when do they let dogs into these arcades?" Demidevimon, despite his trademark incompetence, wasn't buying it, "What's in that thing?" he nudged at the black mockpit.  
  
Dark Lizamon and Tyrannomon each looked over to his direction. Demidevimon floated toward the mockpit, and looked down. There was no way Fal could stop him. Or Serpentmon for that matter. Serpentmon lunged out and struck at Demidevimon, then throwing him into a nearby pool. "TIDAL POOL!" the fountain swirled into a whirlpool, making Demidevimon go around and around in a spin.  
  
"That's him!" Dark Lizamon yelled, "GET HIM!"  
  
The Tyrannomon lunged toward Serpentmon, taking advantage of his dominant Champion level over this mere rookie. "C'mon, small fry, come with me..." he snapped. Serpentmon could only slither back in fear at this behemoth.  
  
"Didn't you forget something?" Fal asked, sarcastically. Just when the Tyrannomon turned to meet him, Fal pulled out his digivice, "That's your cue buddy..."  
  
A white glow engulfed Serpentmon, peering through the shop cracks and the afternoon sky. Then a long beam of light struck down from the heavens, through the roof and onto the snake.  
  
"Serpentmon, digivolve too...." his form grew nearly 3 times as big, "SEADRAMON!!"  
  
The glow ended, and revealed Seadramon. His long slender body pierced through the roof and stared down at Tyrannomon. "So you like picking on the small fries, huh? RYUMIHEKKI!!" Seadramon roared, as he launched a bright blue energy shot into the Tyrannomon. It didn't have a chance to retaliate; the blast totally deleted him on the spot.  
  
Dark Lizamon stepped away, shocked.  
  
"Well, what do you think?" Fal stood atop Seadramon's head, Tamer and Digimon. "Still think you can take us on?"

--

**The Digital World**  
  
The city drew closer, and Ira could now make out the individual buildings, as well as other structures that towered up toward the sky. It was rather ugly; something was always in motion: a piston, a wheel, a lever, among other things. They were flying much closer to the ground now, the few scraggly plants zipping by underneath Aero Veedramon's tattered wings. The Ultimate was silent for the most part as he approached the sprawling city at the lower altitude, leaving his slender rider to think things through.   
  
_So this is the City of Machines. A crude, but appropriate name,_ he decided as he eyed the taller buildings. It seemed (well, to him) that it was really just one giant machine; a mass of twisting cables that throbbed like it was alive. Of course, that was silly of him – damn the fact that his imagination seemed to have a will of its own – and he really should be embarrassed for thinking such thoughts. Still, the city looked like it had been built for _function_, if not efficiency. He had no doubt that he'd be able to locate the computer terminal.  
  
"I will have to land very soon," Aero Veedramon spoke up, his wings struggling to keep him aloft so close to the dry, dark ground. He had veered around as they got closer, traveling almost parallel to the outskirts of the city: he had told Ira earlier that he was going to do this to try and put the city between him and presences he'd felt earlier. "The scents are getting a little bit more faint."   
  
"Good." 

--

  
Aero Veedramon sighed mentally as he stretched his wings as far out as they could go, gliding a little bit. The human was silent now, and made no comment or answer to any remark the Ultimate made: after a while, the dragon-type decided it wasn't worth the trouble and snapped his snout shut. His serpentine tongue worked in the interior of his jaws, flicking against clenched fangs, occasionally against the roof of his mouth. It looked like the cut where he'd accidentally bitten himself had already healed. _One perk, I guess. _  
  
His ash-gray eyes scanned the ground under him for a suitable spot to land. Preferably somewhere relatively concealed - he harbored a distrust for very open areas and if Ira had some other plans, he certainly wasn't going to risk going any closer to the City of Machines. True, it _had_ been a while since he'd last been there, but he really didn't know if the denizens were more hostile toward neutral Digimon or not. _They'd been bad enough then._   
  


--

[Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"]

[In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face.  Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right.  Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay.  David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky.  As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back.  The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly]

[Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset.  Fal Micheal watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light.  Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same.  Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance.  Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.]

[On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky.  Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky.  Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.]

[Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears.  Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder.  Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on]

[On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously.  In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.]

[A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him.  A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.]

--

Episode 4 Cast (In Order of Appearance)

Fal Micheals . . . . . . . . . . . . Anubis

                Serpentmon

                Dark Lizamon

Ira Caraway . . . . . . . . . . . Camille Bidan

                AeroVeedramon

David Milliard . . . . . . . . . . Pkmatrix

                Veemon Akira

                Betamon and Gazimon Thugs****


	5. Another Contestant

[Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"]  
  
[A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.]  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
[We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.]  
  
[Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, then fades away.]  
  
[Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners]  
  
[Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building]  
  
[Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon]  
  
[We now see two Earths floating next to eachother in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.]  
  
[Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, then Celermon walks up behind him.]  
  
[All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladinmon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.]  
  
[All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.]  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER

--

**"Another Contestant"**

**Tuesday, April 7, 2071**

**Tokyo, Japan**

Callie sat at her computer. Psymon was sprawled across her bed asleep. Callie browsed her email address book. One name made her stop for a minute. "Fal Micheal," she said quietly. Callie wasn't quiet sure what possessed her but she clicked his email address and typed him a letter.  
  
"Fal:

  
I don't even know if you remember me, but I thought hey why not? I saw your name in my address book. I guess I looked you up a long time ago. Strange that I'm just now getting around to typing something...So how's California? I kind of miss the states way over here but it's not so bad in Tokyo. 

  
This may sound crazy but have you ever heard of a Digimon? I guess that's why I'm emailing you. Something told me that i could. Anyway there's one sleeping on my bed. Her name is Psymon. She's adorable. I'll attach a picture of her and myself.

  
I must sound crazy...haven't talked to you in years and I'm talking about a Digimon...Isn't life strange. Well I've got to run,  
Later,  
Kana Stone"  
  


--

**Wednesday, April 8, 2071**

**Los Angeles, California**  
  
It took only a few seconds for people to catch the loud roar in the sky above them. In the sky, a long, narrow dragon like creature flew, without wings, as fast as it could, maneuvering around buildings and towers. It was an awe-inspiring and fearing site at the same time. People either ran for cover or just stared astonished on the street below.  
  
Above, however, was a very different story...  
  
"FASTER, SEADRAMON! That MetalGreymon is closing on us!" Fal yelled.  
  
Behind the dragon, another figure, somewhat bulkier, soared through the sky, aiming it's weapons toward Seadramon*. A large, gray dinosaur shape, with long wings on it's back, kept pummeling away at Seadramon with it's chest missiles.  
  
"Come back here, you little worm! I want to taste your cold blood!" The MetalGreymon taunted.  
  
Another missile blast sent across Seadramon, missing barely. "F**k, there's no way we can out maneuver him, Fal." Seadramon growled.  
  
"Just keep flying, until...what the?" Fal was astonished.  
  
"What?"  
  
"A miracle happens..." at that point, a white portal appeared, as if time and space were some how bending and molding into another dimension. "FLY TOWARDS THAT!!" Seadramon complied, aiming straight toward the portal.  
  
"Oh no you don't..." the MetalGreymon let loose another Digi-Blaster attack. The missiles didn't hit Seadramon, rather, the proximity was so close, it sent him careening into the portal, with Fal falling away to. The portal closed at that exact moment.  
  
"What the?" the MetalGreymon wondered, "What happened?"  
  


--

  
Seadramon and Fal were both flailing, around in a white abyss, not knowing what was happening around them. Fear fell through Fal, however, Seadramon actually looked natural here.  
  
"What's going on?" Fal asked his partner.  
  
"We're going..."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We're going...home." Seadramon responded, then de-digivolving...  
  


--

**The ****Digital ****World**

"Oh this is just great! Just great!" Garfield shouted sarcastically.  
  
This woke up BlackAgumon, who lazily said, "What's the matter?"  
  
"The battery died. It'll have to recharge." Garfield replied.  
  
"The mini-fridge is still running though. How can it work but not the thing that makes this APC move?" BlackAgumon asked.  
  
"There are two batteries: one for moving this and one for powering the appliances. And before you ask, no, we can't use the other battery to move. I'm going to get the solar charger set up and then we'll go explore." Garfield said before getting out and setting up a flat set of solar panels.  
  
After they were set up, Garfield grabbed a few of his weapons.  
  
"Do you honestly think you'll need enough firepower to blow up a small mountain out there? It's just little trip." BlackAgumon inquired.  
  
Garfield clipped a couple of Sturm Fausts and a Panzer Faust to his belt before answering. "Yes."  
  
"Besides, where'd you get all this stuff? I don't remember seeing any convenience stores selling bazookas or hand grenades, yet you have those." BlackAgumon said.  
  
"Well, before I met you, I did mercenary work for some military forces during a big war. In addition to being paid in cash, I took the liberty to...how should I put it?...reward myself for my hard work. Oh don't look at me like that. I did enough work for them that they didn't need what I took." Garfield explained.  
  
"Whatever. I still don't think that's all necessary." BlackAgumon informed as Garfield put a couple of fancy Lugers in holsters in his jacket.  
  
"All right. That ought to be enough. Let's roll." Garfield said as he hopped out of the APC and locked it up tight.  
  
The two began wandering through the jungle.

--

**Tokyo, Japan**

Callie woke up slowly. There was something soft and fuzzy next to her. She jumped up and saw Psymon. She sighed. She'd forgotten that the fox was there. Psymon stirred in her sleep and then looked up at her.   
  
"Is everything alright?" she asked stretching out.  
  
Callie nodded. "Yeah." She smiled and caressed one of Psymon's ears.   
  
"I'm hungry." She said pitifully. She looked at Callie pleading.  
  
Callie smiled and got up. "I'll go get something." she walked out of her room into the kitchen. Mitsuke was already there.   
  
"Your late this morning, Kana. I though I'd have to call you." she said.  
  
"Sorry, Mom." Callie said. She slipped a package of poptarts in her pocket and sat down to breakfast.   
  
"Your father said he'd have a surprise when he got home tonight." Mitsuke said placing a plate in front of Callie.  
  
"Really?" Callie said eating as fast as she could.  
  
Mitsuke nodded, and then turned toward another door. "TOYO!" she called.   
  
A twelve-year-old boy came running from the room. "No time for breakfast mom! I've got practice!" the boy grabbed a pack of poptarts and kissed Mitsuke on the cheek. "See you tonight Mom." he called as he ran for the door.   
  
Callie serenely got up from the table and slipped back into her room. She tossed Psymon the pack.   
  
Psymon caught them and ripped them open. "Thanks."  
  
"No prob." Callie said getting her uniform.   
  
Psymon finished both poptarts in the time that it took Callie to get changed.   
  
"Psymon, why were those lizard things chasing you?" she looked at the fox.   
  
Psymon looked at her paws. "Its a long story." she said quietly.   
  
Callie looked at the clock. "Darn, and I've got to go to school."   
  
"Well I can tell you while you go." Psymon said.   
  
"How- Oh, telepathy." Callie smiled she walked over to her door. "Well please tell me. I'll see you for real this afternoon."  
Callie walked out and closed her door.  
  
Psymon got comfortable on the bed and opened the mental link she had established with Callie.   
  


--

Callie walked along the street listening to Psymon. She found that it was much easer to keep a mental link than she had thought before.  
  
_Okay, I lived in a small village that was cut in to a network of caves_ Psymon began. _We were a peaceful community, farming mostly. _  
  
_Okay..._ Callie said.  
  
_Then a few days ago the Dragon Vanguard swept in and occupied my village. No one understood why really...all they would tell us was that we were holding spies in out midst and that they had to take control in order to preserve the safety of the area. _  
  
Callie continued to listen as she stepped on a bus. _Keep going._  
  
_I being a little of a rebel decided to slip into there camp and see what I could find out. Along the way I found your digivice. I had no idea what it was really at the time but when I touched it I saw you. It confused me but I kept going._  
  
_That's what happened when I picked up the digivice! I saw you._ Callie exclaimed.  
  
_Interesting._ Psymon said,_ But getting back to the point. When I entered the camp I somehow lost the digivice...I guess it went to you at this point. Anyhow to cut a long story short, some Dark Lizamon caught me and then started to chase me. They almost had me when you pulled me through your computer screen. I owe you a lot for that Callie._  
  
_No problem, Psymon._ Callie stood up and walked off the bus into the school forecourt.   
  
_I'm a little tired now._ Psymon said. _I'll talk to you later._  
  
Callie let the link slip away and walked into the school.

--

**The Digital World**

[Cue Cowboy Bebop's Chicken Bone]  
  
"Do you have any clue where we're going?" Garfield asked.  
  
"Of course I do! I have an excellent sense of direction! We just have to walk for one more mile and we'll be somewhere!" BlackAgumon shouted.  
  
"That's what you said before the last mile we walked. And the six or seven before that." Garfield muttered.  
  
"Gimme a break! I'm...uh...taking the scenic route!" BlackAgumon stuttered.  
  
Before Garfield could reply, a group of chanting soldiers appeared in view. They were big Ogremons and they looked at the pair before them and laughed.  
  
"Look! It's a couple of Shrimpymon!" one of them said.  
  
"Haw haw haw! They won't even be a good challenge for us!" another shouted.  
  
"Settle down. All right shrimps, who do you fight for? We're Archelon Clan soldiers sent to lay some pain upon a Dragon Vanguard group that's supposed to be around here." the biggest one, probably the leader, said.  
  
"We're new around here. We haven't had time to join a side." Garfield explained.  
  
"Neutrals, eh? I don't have much of a problem with your kind, but my bosses do and they want me to either bring you onto our side or kill you and absorb your data." the lead Ogremon said.  
  
"Neither sounds too good, so we'll pass on both." BlackAgumon said.  
  
"Well, no hard feelings, but we've got to pound you two into the ground. All right boys! Let 'em have it!" the leader shouted.  
  
Just then, 5 more Ogremon popped out of the trees, lifting their clubs.  
  
[Cue Final Fantasy 7 boss theme]  
  
"No hard feelings indeed." Garfield said as he whipped out his sword and a Sturm Faust. He launched the Sturm Faust into the leader's face while chopping another's club in two.  
  
"Hey! They smoked the boss! BEAT EM DEAD!" the first Ogremon to speak shouted. Then Ogremon then began a mad dash towards a waiting Garfield.  
  
"BlackAgumon, I think you should probably go find help!" Garfield shouted as he sliced through an Ogremon and fired another of his Sturm Fausts into the crowd.  
  
"No way! I won't leave you! PEPPER BREATH!" BlackAgumon shouted before spitting a fireball at an Ogremon. This only drew the attention of two Ogremon who proceeded to beat BlackAgumon with their clubs.  
  
"BlackAgumon!" Garfield shouted. While he was distracted, an Ogremon slugged him in his face.  
  
"Stand aside boys. He broke my club. Now let me break him" an Ogremon said, smacking his fist into an open palm.  
  
The other Ogremon circled around Garfield and the Ogremon with a grudge. They started howling and cheering as the Ogremon started beating on a dizzied Garfield.  
  
"Garfield! I'll save you!" BlackAgumon shouted as he leapt towards the nearest Ogremon. The Ogremon simply swatted him aside with his club and went back to watching.  
  
"Run BlackAgumon! Get away!" Garfield shouted before pulling out his Lugers and shooting at the Ogremon he was fighting.  
  
The Ogremon dropped dead, much to the dismay of his comrades. They showed their dismay by trying to club Garfield into the ground. Garfield was barely dodging the whacks.  
  
"Never! I'm your partner! I'm going to save you!" BlackAgumon shouted as he began to glow.  
  
The Ogremon turned towards the bright light and shrieked.  
  
"Stop him!" one shouted.  
  
"Beat him down!" shouted another.  
  
It was too late.  
  
"BlackAgumon digivolve to......DarkTyrannomon!" BlackAgumon, now DarkTyrannomon shouted.  
  
"Woah. That was amazing." Garfield said, leaning heavily on his sword.  
  
"Now we'll see who gets it. No hard feelings?" DarkTyrannomon sneered as he sent an Ogremon flying with a powerful punch.  
  
The other Ogremon began beating on DarkTyrannomon with their clubs.  
  
"This is getting annoying." DarkTyrannomon said as he tossed a couple of Ogremon away before cooking them with Lava Breath.  
  
"Save some for me, buddy!" Garfield sighed as he charged an Ogremon from behind and stabbed it.  
  
"This is a losing battle! Let's run away!" an Ogremon with a bloody face and one arm said before running away.  
  
"Never! For the glory of the Archelon Clan!" the Ogremon who hadn't run away yet said before Garfield stuck his Panzer Faust in his face and fired it.  
  
"Well, that was messy." Garfield commented.  
  
"Sure was. I got my claws all dirty." DarkTyrannomon noted.  
  
"Oh man. I just realized something!" Garfield exclaimed.  
  
"What's that?" DarkTyrannomon asked while washing his claws in a stream.  
  
"You ain't gonna fit in the APC anymore!" Garfield sighed.  
  
"Just gimme time. I'll shrink. You'll see." DarkTyrannomon encouraged.  
  
"Oh sure. I'm just gonna turn away, snap my fingers and you'll shrink. Sure." Garfield joked sarcastically as he turned and snapped his fingers. As he did, DarkTyrannomon De-digivolved back to BlackAgumon.  
  
"See! What I tell ya, eh?" BlackAgumon said.  
  
"That was nuts. Okay. I'm freaked out enough for one day." Garfield groaned as he started back in the direction of the APC, but stumbled when he realized his leg was broken. And the other part was lost in the stream. He groaned.  
  
"Ooh. Sucks to be you. I bet that would hurt if your leg was real, huh?" BlackAgumon joked.  
  
"Sure would. Don't know how quickly I'm be able to get back now. And I have no idea how I'm going to fix my leg. We'll worry about that later though." Garfield rambled as he tried walking again, only to fall over.  
  
"I have an idea! BlackAgumon Digivolve to...DarkTyrannomon!" BlackAgumon/DarkTyrannomon shouted before lifting Garfield onto his head.  
  
"Hey! Now this is pretty sweet. Mind peeling me some fruit?" Garfield asked.  
  
"Sure. You kill, I'll peel it." DarkTyrannomon said in his loud, rumbling voice.  
  
Garfield laughed at that as DarkTyrannomon carried him back to the APC.

--

**Digital World**  
  
A large rumble hit the ground, and dust flew off from a specific spot. Akira and David both saw and felt it.   
  
"What was that?" David asked.  
  
"I don't know. But, whatever it is, I got a feeling we should check it out." Akira suggested.  
  
"You sure? Could be our friends playing catch-up." David warned.  
  
"No, it's something else...like..." Akira sniffed the air that rushed from the drop, "...An old friend."  
  


"An old friend...?" repeats David, somewhat confused, as Akira runs off in the direction of the settling dust cloud. He's only been in this "Digital World" for less than an hour, but by now he's gotten a pretty clear picture of everything from his new friend. For the past seventy years, four factions have been at war for control of the world, their battles having left much in ruin and many of these "Digimon" dead.  
  
"Hey, Akira, wait up!" yells the boy, chasing after the Digimon. David and Akira climb up over a small, rocky hill and over towards a small crater. The Digimon immediately slides down the side, while David just stands there and stares.  
  
_Human...he's human..._ he thinks, as Akira walks over to what looks like a horned snake with fins.  
  
"Serpentmon..." whispers Akira, as the other Digimon stirs awake and looks up at the Veemon.  
  
"Veemon Akira? AKIRA!" yells Serpentmon happily, "I thought I'd never see you again!"  
  
"I thought you were dead!" replies Akira, as David finally decides to come down and make sure that the human kid is okay.  
  
"Hey, are you okay?" he asks, kneeling next to the slightly older boy and shaking his shoulder.  
  
"Ugh..." the blue-haired boy mumbles, sitting up and shaking his head, before looking at David, "Who are you? Where am I?"  
  
_Good thing he speaks English,_ thinks David, helping the newcomer to his feet.  
  
"My name is David Milliard," he says, "And this is the Digital World."  
  
"Fal Michael. Did you say the _Digital World_?" replies Fal, as if he couldn't believe what he'd heard.  
  
"Um...yeah," says David.  
  


--

**A short distance away...**  
  
_Did you find them?_  
  
"Yes. How could I miss it? You could probably see the dust cloud a mile away," says the Digimon, her arms crossed. She is standing on top of a cliff quite a distance away from where Fal and Serpentmon entered the Digital World, but her exceptional vision allows her to see clearly.  
  
_Don't be insubordinate, Hitorimon. These humans and Digimon are very dangerous, I don't want to lose one of my best assassins._  
  
"Humph..." she replies, eyeing the distant crater carefully.  
  
_Especially the Digital Khan..._  
  
"The Digital Khan..." says Hitorimon, "So, how do you want me to proceed?"  
  
_Monitor them, I like to know what my opponents are planning before they proceed. Do not attempt to engage them unless I direct you to, but don't expect that to happen any time soon._  
  
"So, I'm just a spy?" she asks.  
  
_Yes, for the time being. I don't want to kill my new adversary so soon._  
  
"Fine, as you wish, Commandant. Heh, the Khan has no chance against the might of the Phoenix Armed Forces..." says Hitorimon, starting to make her way down so she can follow them, from a safe distance, of course.

--

[Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"]

[In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face.  Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right.  Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay.  David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky.  As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back.  The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly]

[Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset.  Fal Micheal watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light.  Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same.  Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance.  Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.]

[On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky.  Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky.  Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.]

[Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears.  Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder.  Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on]

[On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously.  In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.]

[A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him.  A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.]

--

Episode 5 Cast (In Order of Arrangement)

Fal Micheals . . . . . . . . . . . . Anubis

                Serpentmon

                Metal Greymon

Garfield Magnus . . . . . . . . Draco Starcloud

                Black Agumon

                Ogremon Gang

Kana Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . Renee Aarons

          Psymon

David Milliard . . . . . . . . . . Pkmatrix

                Veemon Akira

                Hitorimon


	6. Reunion

[Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"]  
  
[A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.]  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
[We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.]  
  
[Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, then fades away.]  
  
[Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners]  
  
[Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building]  
  
[Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon]  
  
[We now see two Earths floating next to eachother in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.]  
  
[Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, then Celermon walks up behind him.]  
  
[All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladinmon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.]  
  
[All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.]  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER

--

**"Reunion"**

**Wednesday, April 8, 2071**

**Tokyo, Japan**

Callie walked home slowly from school. She was just about to go in when the bushes rustled. Callie spun on her heel as Psymon appeared.  
  
"Psymon! What are you doing out here!?" Callie said, coming down the steps to the Digimon.  
  
"I got bored, so when your mom left this afternoon I came down here and walked around. Don't worry though, no one saw me."  
  
Callie looked at her and sighed. "I wish you would have told me that you planned to do that..."  
  
Psymon looked at her feet. "I'm sorry Callie..."  
  
Callie smiled. "Its okay. Come on. Let's go for a walk. I wasn't quite ready to go in anyway."  
  
Psymon smiled and skipped happily beside Callie.  The girl walked towards a large oak tree in the side yard. Psymon suddenly stopped in her tracks.  
  
"Callie..."  
  
Callie looked at her partner. "What's wrong?"   
  
"There's something over there..."Psymon said pointing at the tree.   
  
"Huh?" Callie looked and then shivered. "You're right." She slowly walked toward the tree. "What is it?"  
  
"Callie! Stop!!" Psymon called. Callie reached out and slowly caressed the bark of the tree. Suddenly, a dark claw reached out and grabbed her!   
  
"Heheh...gotcha!" a darkly colored lizard growled as it stepped out of the tree. Callie's eyes widened.  Psymon felt powerful arms wrap around her as she began to run towards Callie. 

"Callie!! LET ME GO!"  
  
"Not this time you little spy!" another lizard said, holding Psymon tightly.  
  
Psymon let out a moan: "Let me go!!!"  
  
Callie struggled against the Dark Lizamon holding her. "Let me go you brute!" she said as she slugged him with her free hand.   The lizamon let her go and gripped his snout, a small trickle of blood now flowing.  Callie ran towards the lizamon holding Psymon. 

"You let her go!" Callie had almost reached her when yet another lizamon grabbed her.   
  
Psymon looked pleadingly at Callie. "Callie!"  
  
Three other lizamon appeared and helped the one Callie had hit. The others then approached the girl.  The bloodied one looked at her and then said two words:

"Kill her."  
  
"NO!"  
  
Callie gasped as one began to draw a razor sharp claw across her throat. "PSYMON!" she yelled. The digivice at her side began to glow.   
  
The lizamon holding Psymon suddenly let her go as she began to glow.   
  
"PSYMON DIGIVOLVE TO..." a flash and in Psymon's place was a larger fox like creature. On each ear hung a gold earring and gloves were on each paw and spats were around her ankles. "PSYDRAMON!"  
  
Callie stared up at her partner. "Wow..."  
  
Psydramon looked at the Dark Lizamon holding Callie. "Let her go!"   
  
The four lizamon scattered except for the one Callie had hit. Psydramon's eyes narrowed as she raised her hand.  The enemy Digimon was flung back by her psi abilities.   
  
"Thanks," said Callie, looking up at Psydramon. 

"So, this is what Japan's like, eh?"  

Callie and Psydramon look up to see a young silver-haired man clapping in the tree above them.    
  
A Lopmon appears from behind his leg as she says, "I agree, this is not like I thought it to be."  
  
"Well, Mist, it appears she sees us," the teen replies, glancing down to see a girl and Digimon looking back at him.  
  
"So what does it matter?" Mist asks, a sinister tone in her voice.

   
"Stand your ground, little Lopmon," he orders.  Psydramon looked up at the pair suspiciously.

"I'd get out of that tree before I blow it up..." she said sourly.   
  
The stranger looked at Psydramon. "And why pray tell should I do that?"  
  
"Because it's an illusion. It's actually a gate way to the Digital World," Psydramon scowled. 

"Who are you?" Callie asks.  
  
The stranger hopped down in front of Callie. "No one of real concern. You can call me Shadow, though. And the Digimon up there is Mist."  
  
Mist jumped down and landed next to Shadow.  
  
"I see…" Callie replied, not exactly sure what to make of the two.  
  
Psydramon took aim at the tree as she said, "Get down, Callie. I don't want you to get hurt."  
  
"Right," said Callie as she moved out of the way. Shadow and Mist moved next to her.  
  
"So it's Callie, is it?" Shadow asked off-handedly.  
  
"No, it's Kana to you. Only two people are allowed to call me Callie." Callie watched as Psydramon prepared her attack.  
  
"Ahh...I see," said Shadow, "Some dashing, handsome, brave boy of yours is one and the other would be your partner."   
  
Callie glared up at him as she replied, "My father and Psymon. No one else."  
  
"Callie, could you two hold it down for a minute?" Psydramon asked.  
  
"Sorry."   
  
Psydramon drew back her fist and then unleashed a tremendous amount of psi energy. 

"PHYSIC FIST!" 

With that, the tree burst into millions of digitized pieces. A portal swirled underneath. Callie ran up next to Psymon.   
  
"That can take you home?" she asked.  
  
Psydramon nodded her head and then looked at Callie. "Want to go?"   
  
"Are you serious?" Callie asked as she looked up at her partner.   
  
Psydramon nodded again. "Just for a little. We can come right back."   
  
Callie nodded. "Lets do it then." She then turned to Shadow and Mist: "Sorry to run off like this, but my partner and I are going exploring." Callie approached the portal.   
  
Psydramon took one step and then de-digivolved into Psymon. She reached up and took Callie's hand. "Let's do it!"   
  
Callie nodded and the two jumped in.  As the gate closes behind them, Shadow smirks.  _Excellent._  
  


--

"Darn it! This is hard, driving using the wrong foot!" Garfield shouted.  
  
"You sure have good self-control," said BlackAgumon, sipping at a bottle of water.  
  
"Patience and self-control are things you learn in my line of work," Garfield replied as he tried going again, "Why'd those stupid Ogremon have to break my leg anyway?"  
  
BlackAgumon was blissfully silent.  
  
"I'm sure I'll get it eventually," Garfield muttered.  
  
"I'll take a nap."

And with that, BlackAgumon fell asleep.

  
**An hour later…**  
  
"Yawn! Oh! I see we're moving," BlackAgumon noted.  
  
"Yeah. I'm getting the hang of working the pedals with my left foot," Garfield replied.  
  
"Sure are. AH! WATCH OUT FOR THAT CLIFF!" BlackAgumon screamed.  
  
"AHH!" the two shouted as the APC went over a cliff.  
  
They fell 8 ft. before the APC hit the ground.  
  
"That wasn't far," BlackAgumon remarked.  
  
"Nope." 

The APC started moving again.  
  
"Are we there yet?" BlackAgumon asked.  
  
"Are we where yet?" Garfield countered.  
  
"Anywhere!" BlackAgumon answered.  
  
"Yes," Garfield snipped.  
  
"Yippee!" BlackAgumon cheered.  
  
Garfield sighed and focused on the trail ahead.  
  


  
**Another hour later.  
**  
"BlackAgumon! Wake up!" Garfield shouted.  
  
"What's up?" he yawned.  
  
"I need you to fight that big orange dinosaur with a flag in front of us. I can't fight with one leg," the mercenary said.  
  
"Sure thing." BlackAgumon stepped outside and digivolved.  
  
"Go away you military bozo! We're neutral and we aren't joining you!" DarkTyrannomon shouted.  
  
"Woah! I don't want to fight either! I'm...lost," the Greymon replied.  
  
"Lost? Where are you headed?" DarkTyrannomon asked.  
  
"Trying to find the City of Machines. Any idea where that is?" the Greymon asked.  
  
"Sorry. Me and my partner over there are lost too," said DarkTyrannomon, gesturing at the APC. Garfield waved.  "Yeah, well, sorry we couldn't help you find your way."  
  
"It's no problem.  Hey!  I know!  Why don't we travel together?  I mean, I've been walking forever since I got separated from my group," the Greymon suggested.  
  
"Which faction are you with?" DarkTyrannomon asked.  
  
"I'm with the Phoenix Armed Forces."  
  
"Okay. That's cool with us. We got attacked by a group of Ogremon who were with some other group."  
  
"Feh. Weaklings I bet." Greymon scoffed.  
  
"Uh...right. We took them out pretty easily, I guess," DarkTyrannomon commented.  
  
"Wait a second! We don't have room for a big guy like you!" Garfield shouted from the APC.  Greymon smirked.  
  
"Silly human! I'll just turn back to Agumon!"  
  
Then the two Digimon turned back to their Rookie forms.  
  
"Well...okay. Hop in."  
  
The two Digimon hopped in the APC and the three began searching for the City of Machines.

--

Who knew how hot it was in that desert?  It had to be a good 140 degrees out, which even Fal, living in a desert, wasn't used to. At this time and temperature, he would be out on the beach, surfing, picking up girls (the ones in thongs 'specially) or just plain swimming. However, he was nowhere near the ocean, as far as Akira told him and Serpentmon. Couldn't those idiots have picked a different area than this? Even Death Valley looked like a glacier compared to this. What a jip, was what he was thinking.  
  
"The only day I can actually ditch school without losing out on my grades, and I get stuck down here in the middle of nowhere..." Fal grumbled.  
  
Serpentmon merely slithered along the side of his path, moving the angle of a Sidewinder Rattlesnake. Ironic, seeing a water-type Digimon moving through the desert at a fast pace, even if he was a snake. Must be his dragon half.  
  
"You ok, there, Fal?" Serpentmon asked.  
  
"Just dandy." Fal grumbled even more. He decided to move up beside David, least bit curious about his only human companion. Kinda reminded him of the days when Callie wasn't around, lonely and boring. 

"So, how did you get sucked into all of this?" Fal asked.  
  
"I should be asking you that.  According to Serpentmon, you had some past experience in the Digital World," David replied.  
  
"It was in a water region, so I figured the Digital World must've been fertile and green. Not like this," Fal shrugged.  
  
"Oh.  Well, to tell you the truth, I don't know how I got here. I came home one day and found this thing," he held up his digivice, "Next thing you know, here I am."  
  
"David Milliard...you wouldn't happen to be the Digital Khan, now would you?" Fal asked.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
Fal did a double take, shocked, "YOU!? You are the one I lost to in the StarCraft tournament of '66!?" he grabbed him by the shirt collar and held him up, "You're lying!"  
  
David was just as shocked as Fal was, but at holding him up like that. "No, I'm not! I swear, I'm not!"  
  
"Really? Then answer this, what's your internet Alias?"  
  
"Digital Khan. Everybody knows that."  
  
"Your AIM one, the one that you use outside tournaments and competitions." Fal's grip tightened. Serpentmon and Akira just stood there, not knowing what to do.  
  
"Is your partner always like this?" Akira asked.  
  
"Yep, that's my Fal," Serpentmon shrugged, as if this was normal.  
  
"All right, all right! It's DkMatrix79!"  
  
"Ok, good, now what does the 79 stand for?"  
  
"What?" David questioned.  
  
"You told me on AIM. If you are the Digital Khan, you would be able to tell me what that means," Fal smirked.  
  
"It stands for Universal Century 0079, the time of the One Year War in the Mobile Suit Gundam anime," David replied.  
  
Fal, satisfied, put David down to the ground. "Sorry about that, I have a thing for imitators."  
  
"No hard feelings," David said, truthfully, but he was still a bit shaken, "What was your AIM anyway? I'll add it to my buddy list when I get back"  
  
"BlueDragoon173," Fal replied. "In the tournament, I was Poseidon."  
  
"Ah, I remember you now; you were one of the 4 finalists. You used the Terran race, and had stealth methods. I must say, I was impressed."   
  
"Don't be, that was one of my worst matches. I lost against you in the first 4 minutes," Fal replied.  
  
"You sent all your forces out after my base, while I did the same. It was merely a race to who would finish who first. Zergs move faster than Terran, yet the Terran have more powerful weapons and equipment, especially the Vulture bikes you used. Your attacks were more effective than mine, my Zerglings and Mutalisks were much faster with their assault, so I won."  
  
Fal shook his head, "Maybe, still, I should've seen it coming..." he then shrugged, "Ah well, I guess I'll do better next time."  
  
"Yeah," David agreed.  
  
It was going to be a good friendship...

--

Callie and Psymon stumbled along. They both had no idea where they we're really going, but the steady beep from Callie's digivice meant they had be getting near somewhere. Callie glanced at the device again.   
  
"We'd make better progress of whatever it is would stop moving…" she said, wiping her forehead, "And if I had better shoes."   
  
Since they had entered the digital world right away, Callie hadn't had time to change out of her uniform. Her white with blue trim sweater was stuffed in her school bag, leaving her in a tank top. Unfortunately there wasn't much she could do about her skirt and shoes.   
  
Psymon slowed her pace. "I'm hungry..." she said.  
  
"Me too..." Callie suddenly opened her bag and began rummaging through. "Hey, here are some granola bars I bought earlier." She passed one to Psymon.   
  
"Yay!" Psymon eagerly opened the package and ate the bar.   
  
Callie touched a roll in the bottom of her bag. "What's this?" she pulled out a roll of clothes around a pair of tennis shoes. "Hey, my gym uniform! Now I can wear shorts and tennis shoes. We'll be able to move a little faster." Callie quickly changed out her skirt and shoes. "What do you think?"  
  
Psymon looked at her a little oddly. "Not bad. Very different though."  
  
Callie smiled and looked at the digivice again. "Looks like we need to go this way," she pointed and started walking again.   
  
Psymon followed behind her. "I wonder what we're chasing..."  
  
Callie shrugged. "I don't know, I just hope we find it soon."  
  
Psymon nodded. "Me too."

--

"Man, it's hot..." mutters David, wiping the sweat from his forehead before tightening his jacket around his waist. The group has been wandering around this desert for quite a while now, and it isn't getting any cooler.  
  
"Wow, thanks for stating the obvious," says Serpentmon. Fal just glares at his partner for a moment, the heat getting to him also.  
  
"Aren't there any clouds in this world?" David continues, ignoring Serpentmon and looking up at the sky. Akira silently shrugs as he walks up next to the human.  
  
"So...where are you from again?" he asks, trying to steer the conversation away from the heat.  
  
"Sacramento, California," replies David, "The city you saw when we first, um, met."  
  
"Akira was in our world?" asks Fal.  
  
"Sort of. At the time, we both thought we were hallucinating," replies David.  
  
"Because you saw a little blue dragon?" says Serpentmon sarcastically.  
  
"No, I saw this 'Sacramento' place, while David saw the village I was at before..." replies Akira, trailing off towards the end and putting a hand to his bandaged shoulder.  _Why did I survive...?_

David reaches into his pocket and pulls out the digivice again, looking it over in his hand. An interesting little device made of plastic with an LCD screen along with a few buttons at the center, and what looks like a card reader along the side. The majority of the device is colored white, except for the small ring around the screen, which is a dark gray. David pushes one of the buttons, bringing up a holographic image of Akira. At the bottom of the screen, various bits of data are written in small print:  
  
**Veemon. Rookie Level Digimon, Small Dragon type.  
  
Age: 11  
  
Gender Programming: Male  
  
Attribute: Vaccine  
  
Special Attacks: V-Headbut, V-Punch**  
  
_Heh..._ thinks David, pushing the button again to turn off the hologram and looking up, then stopping suddenly.  
  
"What is it?" asks Fal, stopping and looking back at him.  
  
"Is that a mirage...?" he asks, pointing at something in the distance. Fal looks in that direction and doesn't see anything, at first.  
  
"I think it's...an oasis!" replies Fal, as David gives a sigh of relief.  
  
"It must be Fort Aleksandrea," says Akira, "That's the only thing the Dragon Vanguard have this far into the desert."  
  
"So, you mean they're friends there? YES! Let's get moving," says David, the group starting to walk towards the oasis before quickly realizing someone isn't with them.  
  
"Serpentmon, come on," says Akira, turning to his friend.  
  
"No," he replies, coiling up like a cobra, "I'm not going.  You know my past, Akira, I'm not going back to them!" Serpentmon hissed, like a snake. He was a dragon, but his attitude was like that of a cobra.  
  
"C'mon, Serpentmon, Akira here looks like they can help you through this one," Fal replied, knowing of course what Serpentmon meant. He stared down at his digivice, just to make sure if his attitude was effected by the heat.  
  
**Serpentmon. Rookie Level Digimon, Sea Dragon type.  
  
Age: Unknown  
  
Gender Programming: Male  
  
Attribute: Virus  
  
Special Attacks: Tidal Pool, Massenko  
  
Current Health Condition: Normal**  
  
"Well, the heat hasn't gotten too far into you. That's a good thing," Fal remarked.  
  
"Grrrr...All right, I'll go, only to cool off. However, Akira, you're going to stick up for me when we get there," Serpentmon growled in defeat.  
  
"Don't worry, Akira will have it all under control, Serpentmon," said David. He started walking, however, only Akira and Serpentmon went with him. "Fal?"   
  
Fal's eyes seemed to trail off Serpentmon and onto another site. What looked like a girl in the horizon. One that looked oddly familiar...   
  


--

Callie had been glad for her tennis shoes; otherwise her feet would have been blistered. Psymon was not so lucky and had taken to hovering a few inches off the ground. The only problem was that this took a lot of energy for the little fox and she had to rest often, which usually meant that Callie had to carry her for a little.   
  
"How much further?" Psymon asked. She was "walking" again but slowly.   
  
Callie pulled out her digivice and looked. The dots that they had been tracking were closer. "Not much farther. In fact we should almost be on top of one."   
  
Psymon looked around. "I don't see anything except sand..." she said.   
  
Callie shaded her eyes and looked around. "Me either...wait there's something over that way," Callie pointed.   
  
Psymon looked over and saw the oasis. "That's a Dragon Vanguard fort," she shivered. "I'd prefer to stay away from it."  
  
Callie bit her lower lip. "I don't know if we can. I really need something to drink, and something to eat would be nice, and to get out of the sun for a little."  
  
Psymon groaned. "Okay...but only for a few minutes..."  
  
Callie nodded. "Alright."   
  
The two began walking again. Callie replaced the digivice in her pocket and rearranged her bag. As she looked up someone was standing off in the horizon looking in their general direction. With them was a large snake thing...  
  
"What the..." Callie muttered.  
  
Psymon looked up at her. "Something wrong?"  
  
"Look. There's someone there. Another human...and a snake thing..." she pointed to the two figures.  
  
Psymon looked. "You're right...That is definitely a human and the other is a Serpentmon..." she replied.  
  
"I wonder..." Callie pulled out her digivice and looked. The blinking dot was right in front of her and about the distance it was from her to the other human. "That's it!"  
  
Psymon looked at her. "What's it?"  
  
"The dots on the digivice are other humans! I'm not alone..." Callie began to run toward the figure. "Come on Psymon!"  
  
Psymon forgot hovering and lowered herself to the ground. "Callie wait!!" she ran as fast as she could after Callie.   
  
Callie stumbled once or twice but still plunged head long toward the figure. Psymon ran after yelling at her to stop before she exhausted herself, but Callie wasn't listening. She stopped a few feet in front of the human, which turned out to be a guy.   
  
"I couldn't help but notice you a little ways off, so I ran here..." Callie gasped for breath, but no matter how hard she pulled she couldn't seem to catch it.   
  
The guy looked at her hard, and then spoke one word: "Kana?"   
  
Callie looked up. "Fal?" The world seems to grow dark suddenly and Callie fell forward toward the hot sand. The last thing she heard was Psymon screaming:  
  
"CALLIE!!"

--

[Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"]

[In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face.  Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right.  Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay.  David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky.  As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back.  The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly]

[Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset.  Fal Micheal watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light.  Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same.  Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance.  Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.]

[On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky.  Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky.  Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.]

[Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears.  Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder.  Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on]

[On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously.  In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.]

[A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him.  A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.]

--

Episode 6 Cast (In Order of Arrangement)

Kana Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . Renee Aarons

                Psymon

                Dark Lizamon

Shadow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shadow

                Lopmon Mist

Garfield Magnus . . . . . . . . Draco Starcloud

                Black Agumon

                Greymon

Fal Micheals . . . . . . . . . . . . Anubis

                Serpentmon

David Milliard . . . . . . . . . . Pkmatrix

                Veemon Akira


	7. Conscription

Editor's Note:  Sorry about taking so long!  I meant to get this out a couple weeks ago.  ^^()

[Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"]  
  
[A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.]  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
[We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.]  
  
[Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, then fades away.]  
  
[Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners]  
  
[Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building]  
  
[Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon]  
  
[We now see two Earths floating next to eachother in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.]  
  
[Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, then Celermon walks up behind him.]  
  
[All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladinmon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.]  
  
[All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.]  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER

--

**"Conscription"**

**Wednesday, April 8, 2071**

**Somewhere near Fort Aleksandrea...**  
  
"KANA!" yells Fal, grabbing the young woman who had just suddenly appeared, and just as suddenly passed out.  
  
"CALLIE! WAKE UP!" yells the fox-like Digimon with her, shaking her desperately. Quickly, Fal checks her pulse.  
  
"She's alive...just unconscious," he says, picking her up in his arms, "We have to get her out of the sun, now!"  
  
"Right," David replies, untying his jacket and handing it to Fal, "Here, shield her with this." And at that, the group makes their way towards Fort Aleksandrea...

--

**The City of Machines**

Ira Carraway sat up as the large Ultimate settled carefully down, hind legs stretching down as his scarred, weathered wings beat once, twice, before he dropped steadily onto his forehands. The Digimon had chosen a relatively enclosed spot – their location was concealed from the city by a low overhang of black slag, the rock melted until its surface was glassy and bore a resemblance to gleaming obsidian. _Looks like it's time to begin my own little side job,_ the young man decided with a quirk of his lips. Thank Lady Luck for giving him this opportunity. Or someone: he didn't really believe that much in luck to begin with. But he supposed he should be thanking _something_ for this rare chance he was given.   
  
Underneath him, Aero Veedramon was shifting his weight so that his chin was nearly touching the dark ground, a few centimeters from its surface. His wings closed to his side as he maintained the crouching/bowing position, silently letting the human to step off. Ira did so, leaping down with ease from his perch. His blazing white trench coat fluttered down after him as he landed. It settled about him as he turned to the Digimon.   
  
"Well, this is as far I need to go," Ira reached into his pocket and drew out his glasses, replacing the small-frame spectacles on the bridge of his nose. The large gray eyes of the dragon-type followed the movement almost hungrily. "You may leave, if you wish."   
  
A rumble as the huge reptilian head turned toward him, bobbing very reluctantly as if the words were difficult to say. "…Are you sure? The City of Machines is a dangerous place."  
  
"I don't need you anymore."  
  
Aero Veedramon recoiled slightly at this simple and careless remark, his air slightly wounded. The Ultimate looked down at his claws, which had been tearing up the hardly packed dirt as they clenched and unclenched in a nervous gesture. He immediately stopped, suddenly self-conscious, laying one paw on the other as if he was ashamed; "Perhaps, but…" he hesitated. He'd just _met_ this human creature – he already despised the way he seemed to look down on others, but there was something interesting about him, something that was almost worth the unspoken insults in the condescending and calculating amethyst gaze. "…I am willing to volunteer my services one more time. Not only is the City perilous, it is also very large and easy to get lost in."  
  
Ira sheathed the sword with a hiss of the sword's keen edge sliding hungrily into the scabbard. "I rarely get lost," he said blandly.   
  
"…Even if you _do_ have a good sense of direction, you're going to have a lot of difficulty finding your way to the terminal. Do you even know _where_ it is?"  
  
Ira chuckled. It seemed – well, to him – that the Digimon was almost unwilling to let him go. Apparently, his curiosity had yet to be satisfied. It was with an almost stubborn expression that the Ultimate fixed on him. _So you still insist on this, do you?_ A mental sigh of exaggeration. Like a dumb puppy. That's what this overgrown lizard was, he decided. A giant dog intent on following his master, with a brain to match. The Digimon had always (deep down) wanted to be commanded, but he'd always rankled at those of the factions, Ira realized. He didn't know _where_ this enlightenment had come from, but he wasn't going to question it now.   
  
So now the Digimon wanted to come along with him, simply put. This was a rather ridiculous notion, considering that Ira had no desire to throw orders to Aero Veedramon.   
  
The dragon-type was intent on getting an answer. "…You're going to need a guide." He blinked, clearly startled, as the silver-haired human began to make his way down the dark rocks and toward the outskirts of the hulking dwellings not too far away. A gust of wind danced between the two as the distance between them grew and tossed up the white trail of the young man's trench coat teasingly at Aero-Veedramon; "What are you doing?"  
  
"It's fairly obvious what I'm doing – leaving."  
  
"But –"  
  
_Dense idiot. You don't seem to pick up on things very well._  
  
Ira didn't turn around as he threw his words over his shoulder: "Suit yourself."  
  
There was a long pause as Aero Veedramon processed this answer. His claws scrabbled loudly against the black pebbles as he hurried after his much smaller companion, not wanting to be left behind. Ira never stopped to wait for the Digimon; he was always moving, was always looking the other way whenever the Ultimate slipped on loose rocks. To his credit, Aero Veedramon kept his jaws clapped tightly together and said nothing, although his skin flushed a dark blue when he almost tripped on a boulder that gave way beneath him. Ira ignored him.  
  
It was in this fashion that the two entered the dim, gloomy outskirts of the City of Machines.  
  


--

**Fort Aleksandrea**

"Ok, Serpentmon, I don't care if you don't want to go in there or not, but you better command them to let us enter!" Fal yelled at his Digimon.  
  
Serpentmon's cobra persona immediately disappeared. He knew not to get Fal pissed for any reason. "Alright, lets take her in." Serpentmon hissed. He slithered toward the fortress, with Fal (carrying Kana), Psymon, David and Akira following his lead. "I can't believe I have to do this..." Serpentmon growled, "...I ran away from these people a long time ago!"  
  
He finally reached the gate and looked up at the guards. Two Aerodramon were perched on the ledges, looking down on Serpentmon like Vultures on a corpse. "Who goes there?" one of the Aerodramons demanded.  
  
"I wish to enter the fort for rest. Our friends have been on the road for a while, one of them is unconscious." Serpentmon spoke out.  
  
"And this on who's authority?"   
  
"Mine..." Akira joined up with Serpentmon and looked up at the Aerodramon, "Let them pass."  
  
"I'm sorry Captain, but orders state that we can't let anyone pass into the fort." the other Aerodramon responded.  
  
Before Akira could respond, Serpentmon came back, "Consider them counter ordered."  
  
"What?"  
  
He then started to glow again, "Serpentmon digivolve to...SEADRAMON!!" the glow ended and revealed Seadramon. The Aerodramon immediately recognized him, "Colonel Seadramon?"  
  
"Colonel!?" Fal stared up at his sea Digimon.  
  
"I order you, let them pass." Seadramon glared. The Aerodramon immediately opened the gate without verbal response, but the sense of fear in the eyes of a Dragon Vanguard officer.

--

**The City of Machines**

Ira Carraway walked fearlessly past the first run-down shack, his mirror-like violet eyes glancing to either side as he sized up the surrounding area. His slender face was calm as he strode with purpose down the avenue, spotless boots crunching slightly as they stepped on uneven gravel and pieces of broken glass that was littered about the ground. Behind him, Aero Veedramon followed a few paces away: the Digimon had fallen onto all fours by the time they had entered the outskirts of the City, his padded feet and hands rasping roughly against the stones. The silver-haired man glanced over his shoulder at the Ultimate. It was easy to keep up with white-clad human's stride, but the larger creature was careful not to pass Ira. He briefly wondered if the dragon-type was afraid he'd been offended or something. There had to be some reason as to why Aero Veedramon was practically tripping on his heels.   
  
Again the image of an obedient canine came to mind.   
  
_Well, this one's a bit more intelligent than a dog, but not by much._ He turned away and faced forward. As long as this overgrown dog didn't snap off his head or anything, he supposed that it would be fine to put up with him. Anyway, his attention should be directed more on finding his way to the computer instead of on the blue Digimon. Ira scanned the street before him: the area was a mess, a hovel of makeshift houses that had been built on the boundaries of the City because room in the center had been scarce – the dirty shacks were so closely packed together that the "street" was little more than a gloomy, smoggy alleyway: Aero Veedramon had somehow managed to squeeze his muscled frame into the cramped space without a word of complaint.  
  
_Crash!_  
  
Further ahead, a rickety scaffolding toppled over, followed with the sounds of scrabbling. Ira quickly laid his hand on the hilt of his sheathed taijiquan sword as the scuffling continued. He didn't expect to slip into the City entirely unnoticed and he reminded himself that he'd have to be on his toes. However, he relaxed as a small Rookie Digimon scuttled from one side of the street toward the other and away from the fallen slats of wood, the Palmon shooting a frightened glance at the human before vanishing into the shadows. Behind him, Aero Veedramon sighed;  
  
"I believe the City is under control by one of the factions," he growled lowly. "It's probably being used for military operations, which is why it's so polluted." A loud snort as he wrinkled his snout in distaste, the nostrils flaring. "And why the Digimon that live here are frightened of their own shadows."  
  
Ira continued on his, letting his palm rest on the pommel. The war here didn't have anything to do with him and he had no intention of getting swept up in it. If the citizens of the City of Machines were that cowardly, than that was just as well for him – less distractions and that meant he'd most likely have less trouble getting the job done than if there were mobbed. _But if this place is occupied by a faction, than they're probably going to have patrols or something._ And that _wasn't_ good.  
  
"Where exactly is the computer?" Ira threw his question over his shoulder as they passed a smoldering junk pile – a pump was bobbing up and down like a sad, crazed elephant as it rocked. It was probably a gas line or something; occasionally it would belch oily black exhaust as it ascended and descended.  
  
"It's closer to the center of the City. Terminals of the type you're looking for are rare here; there's generally two or three in major cities. I'm certain that the closest one is near the main forge."  
  
_…Main forge?…_ Now why did _that_ sound familiar? It was ridiculous, of course; in the past missions, he'd never been in this area. In fact, he was sure he hadn't ever been this far south before, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that refused to let the notion die. Something wasn't right. But whatever it was, his mind decided to go stubbornly blank on him now. A mental shrug. It wasn't a good time to be thinking of that sort of weird crap. Better just to focus on the now and not some past that kept running just out of his memories reach. The silver-haired human gestured for the blue-skinned Digimon to continue as they left the junkyard behind.   
  
"My guess is that the Phoenix Armed Forces are occupying this City." Aero Veedramon grunted as his wings scrapped against a blackened brick wall. "The City of Machines is the primary industrial city in the southern hemisphere of the Digital World, so, despite its appearances, it's a vital location because of the things that are produced by the factories. Weapons, that sort of thing."  
  
They approached two young Agumon playing in the black dirt – the Rookies fled at the sight of the two as soon as they took in the strange, two-legged figure with the blazing ivory trench coat and the Ultimate Digimon towering behind him. Ira continued straight ahead: warily, Aero Veedramon followed, stepping over the abandoned rubber ball. The dragon-type felt uneasy as he padded along, and reasonably so, he decided. After all, he was walking right into a place where he was sure to be recruited or something. His gray eyes looked up at the human ahead of him – like a beacon, the pristine trail shone white against the dreary background of the City of Machines. Well, it was a lot easier to follow that blaze blindly, instead of worrying about himself…

--

**Fort Aleksandrea**   
  
The Elecmon puts a wet towel on Kana's forehead. She's been unconscious for nearly forty minutes, Fal and Psymon having not moved from the side of the bed since then.  
  
"Don't worry, she'll be fine, just needs some rest," says Elecmon with a smile. David turns away and walks outside, his jacket over his shoulder.  
  
_I can't believe I'm really here..._ thinks David, watching a troop of Digimon march past a distant bunker. The fort is surprisingly large, the main building like some middle-eastern palace, looming over all of the other buildings in the distance. David notices Akira walking up beside him.  
  
"So..." he says, "What are you going to do now?"  
  
"I don't know. I've got to find some way home," David replies.  
  
"I wish I could come with you," says Akira with a sigh, "I wish..." David is about to respond when a Guilmon walks up to them and salutes to Akira.  
  
"Captain! General Panjyamon has asked to me to bring both you and the Digital Khan to him!" says Guilmon.  
  
"Wha-what?! General Panjyamon is HERE?!" yells Akira, turning slightly pale.  
  
"Um...who is this 'General Panjyamon'?" asks David, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"General Panjyamon is the Dragon Vanguard's greatest general, he's second only to the Commander-in-Chief himself!" whispers Akira.  
  
"Ah, I see. Do you know why he wants to see us?" asks David, turning towards Guilmon.  
  
"No, sir!" he replies. David sticks his head back into the Hospital, glancing over by the others.  
  
"I'll be right back, I have to do something," says David, but the only response he gets is Serpentmon (he'd devolved) waving back at him with his flipper. With a shrug, David turns back to Guilmon, following as the Digimon leads him and Akira away.  
  


--

**The City of Machines**

"Looks like they're preparing to change sentries."   
  
Ira and Aero Veedramon were crouching down in the steamy shadows, the two looking down at the jumbled mass of buildings below. The Ultimate did his best to conceal his bulk as he hissed into the white-haired man's ear about the situation, what was standard practice, and the like. For the most part, Ira was silent, his gleaming violet eyes narrowed to crystal slivers, although he occasionally would whisper a question back.   
  
The dragon-type rumbled as he eyed the pair of Digimon down below. They were Champion level - a Black Growlmon and an Akatorimon. He didn't relish the idea of taking two of them on at once and he hoped that he'd guessed correctly in regards to what actions his companion might take. _It would make more sense to sneak it. There's always a space between the switches when there's no sentries._ His teeth clicked together nervously as he glanced irately at the black smoke drifting up from the forge.   
  
"They're leaving," Ira said suddenly. Before Aero Veedramon could say anything in reply, the young man began clambering down from his perch, his white trenchcoat splaying out as he moved quickly. "Come on."  
  
Aero Veedramon followed obediently. It looked like he really didn't have a choice.  
  


--

**Fort Aleksandrea**  
  
David and Akira are escorted into a large, ornately decorated room somewhere within the palace. The only real furniture in the room is a large desk in the middle along with a set of chairs. Large windows are set in the walls, while to the right is a large door that opens onto what appears to be a balcony. White curtains flutter inside on a light breeze as a Digimon enters from that door.  
  
_Whoa..._ thinks David, unsure of what else to think. The Digimon is a huge, white, lion-like humanoid standing well over seven feet tall. It walks over David and Akira, motioning for Guilmon to leave, who does so and closes the door behind him while the human and rookie stare up at the imposing figure.  
  
"Welcome to Fort Aleksandrea, Khan. I am Lieutenant General Panjyamon of the Dragon Vanguard," he says with a smile.  
  
"S-sir!" stutters Akira, saluting to Panjyamon.  
  
"Uh...Hi," replies David, somewhat dumbfounded before shaking his head to try and snap out of it, "Thank you for letting us stay here and for helping my friend. My name is..."  
  
"David Milliard, the great Digital Khan," says Panjyamon, cutting him off and walking towards his desk, "I know exactly who you are, my friend. And it is for this reason that I have asked to meet you. Please, sit down." Panjyamon sits in the large chair behind his desk and motions for David and Akira to sit in two smaller chairs in front.  
  
"Okay," replies David, sitting down.  
  
"David, I am going to skip all of the formalities and tell you straight out: we need you," says Panjyamon, "We need your skills to help us defeat the Phoenix Armed Forces."  
  
"What...?" replies David, somewhat confused.  
  
"What I'm saying is, it is the sincere wish of our Commander-in-Chief that you join us. Together, your strategic skills and our military might, we can easily defeat the Phoenix once and for all!" says Panjyamon loudly.  
  
"Wait, are you asking me to become a commander? A REAL commander?" asks David, surprised at the proposal.  
  
"Yes," Panjyamon simply answers.  
  
"I see," David says, "Then my answer is...NO!"  
  
"What?!" yells Panjyamon, shocked at the response. The great Digital Khan, a master strategy game player, turning down a chance at commanding a REAL army?  
  
"I see you've misinterpreted who I really am. I don't play strategy games because I want to be real commander, a real soldier. In fact, in reality, I am AGAINST fighting of ANY kind. War is pointless. If given the chance to end all wars, and have none ever happen again, I would do it," says David grimly, standing up and walking towards the exit, "Come on, Akira." For a moment, Akira looks at David, then back at Panjyamon, before getting up following the human.  
  
"Then let me sweeten the deal," says Panjyamon as David reaches for the doorknob, "If you help us defeat the Phoenix, I can guarantee that you and your friends can return to your world."  
  
"What?" says David, looking back at Panjyamon, "You know how to send us home?"  
  
"Of course. I'm sure if you ask your friend Serpentmon, he will confirm what I've said. But, I will help you only if you help us," replies Panjyamon, "The deal is on the table, take it or leave it." David looks at the Digimon, silently trying to decide whether or not he is telling the truth or tricking him to stay and fight. He can't take the chance that he's not lying, it's his ONLY chance at getting home.  
  
"Fine, but I'm holding you responsible if anything happens to any of my friends because of this," David answers, pointing at Panjyamon.  
  
"No problem, I trust in your skills. It will be sunset soon, you and your friends will join me and my officers for dinner, correct?" asks Panjyamon.  
  
"Sure, _sir_," David replies with a smirk, saluting quickly before leaving.

--

Kana was resting up quite well, actually. She wasn't sick or anything serious, just dried up. Fal decided to let her rest without too much presence. He and Serpentmon wandered down the hallway of the great fort, looking at the different Digimon passing by.  
  
"You never told me you were a Colonel, Serpentmon." Fal spoke out, "You told me stories of how you were once among the greatest leaders of the Dragon Vanguard, but I never believed you. Sorry."  
  
"Don't be." Serpentmon replied, "The only reason I stayed among the high ranks was because I was the last Seadramon in the Digital World. The others have been extinct for eons." he slithered down, looking around the grandeur of the fort, "Yep, it's been a while..."  
  
"Too long, my friend." a voice said from behind.  
  
Serpentmon turned to meet up with Panjamon. At first, he only recognized him as a white Leomon, until he noticed the deep cross-shaped scar that was on his cheek. "Well, well, looks like you've been well, Panjamon. Your rank hasn't spoiled your personality one bit?"  
  
"Is that a way to talk to an old friend?" Panjamon held out his arm. Serpentmon took it with his flipper and shook it indefinitely, with a smile on his face. "Now that's better." Panjamon replied, with his own smile. "However, the reason why I let you into the fort was to offer Fal something."  
  
"What do you mean?" Fal asked.  
  
"How would you like to be among the commanding officers of the Dragon Vanguard?" Panjamon asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
Serpentmon turned and slithered up to his partner, "I knew there was a catch, Panjamon. Don't you already have the Digital Khan as a commander?"  
  
"Him?" Panjamon shook his head, "The boy, David, has great skill. However, we need all the commanders we can get, and it is my orders to ask that you join the Dragon Vanguard as one of the key commanders." Panjamon put his paw on Fal's shoulder; "We've seen your skills and tactics in combat. Your skill is equal to that of the Digital Khan himself. That is why we need you and David. He might have told you what you would get in return already, a gateway home."  
  
"Me? A commander?" Fal had to think hard on this one. His family life at home wasn't all that great, but he did miss the open sea that faltered on California. He would spend who knows how long developing tactics and battles against the Phoenix Armed Forces that Serpentmon told him about, not much of a tradeoff. Still, it was a tempting offer...  
  
Serpentmon slapped him with his tale, "ARE YOU NUTS?" the oversized dragon growled, "Take it from me, you don't want to be a commander of this army. They'll sell you out in the end."  
  
"And, if you do join, Fal, Serpentmon will be pardoned from the charges against him." Panjamon added to the offer.  
  
"In that case, I accept." Fal said.  
  
"FAL!?" Serpentmon stood dumbfounded.  
  
"Serpentmon, if it's to save you from the charges the Dragon Vanguard have against you, then there is no greater worth to this." Fal told his partner.  
  
"You want to end up like me? How I was..."  
  
"Don't start." Fal cut in, "I'm not doing this for the Dragon Vanguard, I'm doing this for you. You should be thankful."  
  
"I am, but I'm worried for your safety." Serpentmon spoke out. He turned to Panjamon, "If he joins, then I'll rejoin." Now Fal was amazed, "I will be his bodyguard, and second-in-command, if the need arises." Fal couldn't help, but feel amazed. No one had ever made a step for him like that before, not even his own family. It was heartwarming, that someone actually cared for him.  
  
"In that case, you both are in." Panjamon said, "Please follow me, dinner will begin in a little while. Your friend Kana will be there as well." he winked at Fal, who in turn, blushed, "However, Fal, first you must change clothing."  
  
"Huh? Why?" Fal asked.  
  
"You are a member of the Dragon Vanguard now, right? I believe it is a tradition that humans wear uniforms when they join an army. Though we Digimon do not always wear these things, I find that the uniform would look better than what you are already wearing." he pointed to the now tattered Hawaiian shirt and bathing suit.  
  
"I see what you mean..." Fal shrugged, with Serpentmon at his side, he and followed Panjamon down toward the changing room.

--

**Naha, Okinawa**

The Lancer speed noisily down the road, and finally came to a screeching halt in front of a rustic little shop. It's the local anime/videogame specialty store; Kouyuu likes to visit it everyday. He's been going since he was around ten when he first started coming, and now he's sixteen, six years.   
  
Kouyuu slowly got out of his car, and trotted into the small store with his head hung low and his hands stuffed in his pockets. As he entered he was greeted by a few of the customers and employees. He knew all of them by heart. As they welcomed him a warm sensation spread throughout his body. This was his solace in life, his way of healing wounds.  
  
"About time you got here, man!" Said one of the younger boys who was currently seated on the counter playing on a small hand held console.  
  
"Really, you're normally here a lot earlier. Is something wrong? OH… I get it. You were with a girl weren't you?" Said a young man standing behind the counter.   
  
"You could say that." Kouyuu muttered taking a seat on the counter next to Shojiro, the young boy who had commented earlier.   
  
"Oh… You mean Aki?" Dayu, the young man behind the counter, questioned as he sat back in his chair.   
  
"How can you live with her?" Dayu asked, slightly annoyed at the thought of Akiko.  
  
"You just have to learn to fight back, and not to let her push you around. If you do, then you're her slaver forever." Kouyuu muttered looking over Shojiro's shoulder to see what he was doing.  
  
"Is that right? Well I don't care she still scares me. I fear for my life when I'm around her." Dayu muttered crossing his arms, and walking off to one of the storage closets to get a broom.  
  
"Heh, I guess those two will never get along." Kouyuu smiled.  
  
"What the…!? Hey guys come look at this!" Yelled Dayu from the closet in a panic, almost choking on his words.  
  
Shojiro, Kouyuu, and a few others rushed to the see what all this was about. Once they had all crammed there way into the small room, Dayu stood frozen pointing to a odd watch-looking thing, with a bright light shooting out from it.  
  
"What do you think it is?"  
  
"You think I know, you idiot!"  
  
"Looks like a watch…"  
  
Shojiro kneeled over the small device, and poked it a couple of times with his finger.  
  
"Doesn't seem too dangerous, Dayu." Shojiro commented, sarcastically to Dayu. A smirk stretched across his face.  
  
"I'm not scared of it!" Dayu replied in a smug tone, and again crossing his arms.  
  
Kouyuu slowly put his hand out and grasped the small object. He examined it and then looked into the light being emitted by the device.   
  
"Well, it seems to be some sort of…" A blinding flash lights up the room, and fades with Kouyuu gone from the room.  
  
"Hey where'd he go?" Dayu looks around the room and soon the others do the same, but no sign of Kouyuu remains. Shojiro then notices that the device is also gone.  
  
???  
  
_"Kouyuu…"_  
  
"It-it's the shadow! The shadow from my dream! But, is this… a dream?"  
  
_"What are you?!"_  
  
There is another bright flash followed by a loud splash.

--

[Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"]

[In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face.  Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right.  Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay.  David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky.  As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back.  The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly]

[Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset.  Fal Micheal watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light.  Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same.  Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance.  Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.]

[On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky.  Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky.  Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.]

[Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears.  Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder.  Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on]

[On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously.  In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.]

[A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him.  A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.]

--

Episode 7 Cast (In Order of Arrangement)

Fal Micheals . . . . . . . . . . . . Anubis

                Serpentmon

                Aerodramon

Ira Caraway . . . . . . . . . . . Camille Bidan

                AeroVeedramon

David Milliard . . . . . . . . . . Pkmatrix

                Veemon Akira

                Elecmon

                Guilmon

                Panjyamon

Kana Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . Renee Aarons

                Psymon

Kouyuu Fukushima . . . . . . . Corey

                Shojiro

                Dayu


	8. Familiarity and Remembrance

A/N: Sorry about the long wait...I was held up by other things (school, etc.). I'll try to update more regularly from now on.

[Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"]  
  
[A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.]  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
[We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.]  
  
[Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, then fades away.]  
  
[Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners]  
  
[Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building]  
  
[Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon]  
  
[We now see two Earths floating next to each other in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.]  
  
[Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, then Celermon walks up behind him.]  
  
[All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladinmon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.]  
  
[All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.]  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER

--

**"Familiarity and Remembrance"**

**Wednesday, April 8, 2071**

**The City of Machines**

"Is this the place?" Garfield asked.  
  
"Yeah! This is the City of Machines! Come on, I'll show you around!" Agumon said as he led BlackAgumon and Garfield out of the APC.  
  
"Agumon digivolve to Greymon!" Agumon said, transforming into his larger form, "I gotta be Greymon here. Let's go meet the boss. I'm sure he'll reward you...maybe."  
  
The trio walked through the city for a few minutes before reaching a small fortress. Greymon knocked on the door.  
  
"Who goes there?" a loud voice said from inside.  
  
"Greymon from Company 3, reporting. I have returned from being lost," Greymon replied.  
  
"Enter. The boss wants to see you," the voice said as the door opened. The three walked inside and saw a small Digimon next to the door.  
  
"Who are these two?" the Digimon asked.  
  
"Datamon, this is Garfield Magnus and BlackAgumon. They helped me get back," Greymon explained.  
  
"They don't look dangerous. All right. Proceed to the boss's office," Datamon replied.  
  
Greymon bowed as the trio walked past Datamon. They walked down a hall, passing various other Digimon doing things like wrestling, playing cards, and throwing darts. They reached a big black door with "The Boss" stenciled in white.  
  
"Excuse me…Boss?" Greymon asked.  
  
"Ah! Greymon! It's about time you got back," the DeviDramon on the other side of the desk said.  
  
"Hi boss. Well...I'm reporting in!" Greymon saluted.  
  
"Good. Place just isn't the same without ya. What say we shoot some pool before the mission?" asked DeviDramon.  
  
"Sounds good. Ah, boss, I'd like you to meet a couple of friends of mine." DeviDramon looked at Garfield and BlackAgumon.  
  
"Interesting pair. What do they...do?" he asked.  
  
"I am Garfield Magnus, mercenary, and this is my partner BlackAgumon, Apprentice Mercenary, at your service," Garfield announced as he awkwardly bowed.  
  
"I see… Well, you two can hang around until we have to go on our mission. The higher ups want us to hit the clan's Ogremon Team that's been raiding the city at night," DeviDramon said.  
  
"You won't have to worry about them. We already took care of them!" BlackAgumon shouted. DeviDramon stared in disbelief.  
  
"You're serious?" asked DeviDramon.  
  
"Really really," Garfield stated.  
  
"Maybe you'll be worth keeping around. We'll...ah...just play a few rounds of pool instead then," DeviDramon said.  
  
"Yahoo!" shouted Greymon and BlackAgumon simultaneously.  
  
So they played pool.

--

"Fools...the security in this city is so loose, ANY amateur can get through!" mutters Hitorimon, leaping from roof to roof as she heads for the base, "Sometimes, I question the Commandant's logic in assigning command." Suddenly, a screech is heard overhead as three large Digimon zoom past.  
  
"Pteramon? Wait...there are no Pteramon stationed here to my knowledge..." Hitorimon whispers as the three Digimon suddenly start launching missiles at random, large plumes of fire billowing into the air with each explosion.  
  
"Damn! Its an air-raid!" she yells, continuing on her way at a faster pace.

--

_Kouyuu…_  
  
Kouyuu's eyes gently peeled open as he gradually came to.  
  
"Uhh…? Gah! What's this stuff?" He cried out, trying desperately to free himself from the gummy and murky soup in which he laid. He struggled for a while, and finally grasped hold of an old, rusty pipe protruding from a nearby building. He pulled and pulled, and finally after much stress managed to free his body from the sticky liquid. He was glad to be out of that mess; unfortunately the oily soup got the last laugh. Kou's clothes were drenched with the icky, black gunk.  
  
"Yuck! Just great." He complained sarcastically as he tried to wipe the gummy soup off of his clothing. "Maybe there's a place nearby where I can wash this mess off or something." He pondered as he examined the large metal buildings surrounding him. He felt so trapped in this place. "I don't think I'm in Okinawa anymore…"  
  
The city, or whatever it was, seemed to be endless from Kouyuu's perspective. At first impression it appeared to be nothing more than one giant factory. But, as he gradually made his way down the narrow streets he noticed small, rugged, structures, which resembled various shops and stores. Perhaps there was a Laundromat close by. All big cities seem to have Laundromats, so why wouldn't this one?  
  
"Run!! Get to the shelters!!" Echoed a shrill cry from down one of the streets as it bounced off the metallic structuring of the city, and entered Kouyuu's ear.  
  
"Huh…?" Kou came to a sudden stop as he glanced around to see where the shout had come from. Then, the ground beneath him trembled slightly, and the sound of quick pattering on metal rang throughout the city. Kou, raising an eyebrow, stared down the main road as the quaking ground intensified and the pattering turned to a low roar of dashing feet.   
  
"Wha-what is this? What's going on?!" He shrieked looking around frantically. Just then, two little big-eared dog-looking creatures turned the corner onto the main street and rushed by Kouyuu, who stood frozen at the first sight of the odd little critters. "I must be dreaming… Yeah! That's it this is a dream! Hahaha!" He cheered feeling a bit foolish about the entire thing. But, his laughter ceased when two giant elephant looking creatures stomped down the road, followed by hundreds of monsters of all different shapes and sizes. Kouyuu's face turned to panic and he freaked at the sudden swarm of monsters dashing down the once open and empty street.  
  
"Hurry! Run"  
  
"Get to the shelters!" Shouted various monsters as the river of abstract beings flowed threw the rusty streets as if it were a trench.  
  
"Gah, what are these things?!" He yelped as the monsters ran by, all in a hurry to get to some solace for an unknown reason. "Agghhh!!" Screaming as a giant, green, and spiny foot nearly crushed him. He dove to the ground, and luckily the other foot passed over him as well. He slowly got to his feet and stared in awe as he watched the creatures traveling to, what seemed to be, the heart of the city from what he could tell. "A walking cactus? Now I know I'm dreaming."  
  
He turned, gripping the handle to his ancestor's blade, and headed opposite of the rushing crowd as he pushed, shoved, and navigated his way threw the mass of fearful creatures, as they headed to "the shelters".   
  
_"Some of them are huge, why can't they do anything? What are they so terrified of?"_

--

_He stared down the length of his saber. At the end of gleaming steel tip quaked a Were Garurumon: the Ultimate's fanged head was tilted back as the other's blade tickled his throat, mere centimeters away from the gray and black fur. The wolf-type gulped, all too aware of his predicament. He'd underestimated his opponent when he'd first come upon him and he'd certainly paid for it – all along his body were ugly injuries, gashes and bleeding wounds where the sword had gouged in and bit at him, dancing and shimmering, almost playfully, in the afternoon sunlight as it tore ribbons of blood from the fur coat. Were Garurumon dark blue eyes focused at his opponent – the other was standing with the sun behind him and he could only make out the silhouette, the six wings that were furled along the upright back.  
  
He was at the other's mercy and it made him snarl to think that he'd been defeated. His general wasn't going to like this. Not at all.  
  
"Which faction do you belong to?" The victor asked emotionlessly, the shadow of his head staring with no remorse at his downed foe..  
  
Were Garurumon bunched up his paws into tight fists, his bushy tail thrashing under him. But he answered anyway, despite his reluctance, "Dragon Vanguard."  
  
The wings rustled in the hot breeze as the silhouette noted calmly; "The enemy-"  
  
This was only answered by a loud growl of defiance, "You scum, you're from the Phoenix–"  
  
He was cut off, as if he hadn't interrupted at all. "-You're all enemies. It's a sin to the Digital World that you all exist. You kill, you maim, you raze, all in the name of justice. All for your cause."  
  
"It's because our cause is the right one!" The wolf-type gnashed his fangs together in open agitation.  
  
"You're all wrong. Your 'causes' are meaningless. Just as your factions are." The blade turned hungrily – the keen edge was still glimmering black, like obsidian. "Just as you all are. All of you are meaningless. You are all black spots marring the world – therefore all of you must be erased from memory."   
  
Listening to this Digimon speak, it was becoming increasingly clear to the Ultimate that the other wasn't quite in his right mind. He sunk down lower to the ground, his ice blue eyes dulling over as he realized his situation. His foe was mad, he decided as the six-winged Digimon ranted about the state of the world, the disgusting acts committed by each faction alike, how it was his duty as a messenger of a Digital Something (he didn't really catch the last part) to wipe out all the sinners. All of this in the same emotionless, uncaring tone of voice. With a cold jolt, it occurred to the wolf-type that his opponent was under the delusion that he was sent by some higher power to delete everything._ He's going to kill me. _A low, mental howl.   
  
The victor's twin tails curled and uncurled around his hind legs, lashing as he abruptly stopped his monologue, the wide violet eyes staring down at the fallen Were Garurumon, reflecting back the Digimon's image back at himself.  
  
"It's justified that I will hunt every member of every faction down and delete them all." The glittering amethyst eyes drew closer. "All of you will pay with your data for the sinful acts you have committed."  
  
The saber drew backward. The six wings flared wide as the shining blade swept down a wide arc. Shimmering, it exited the other side of the Were Garurumon's neck: the sable blood on the edge was already dissolving into data bits as the Ultimate was deleted. The biped Digimon watched as the particles rose up into the sky, his eyes rising up to follow them as they broke away from the beheaded body. Eventually it was all gone, fluttering away into the hot sky.   
  
"Justice does not discriminate," the winged Digimon turned on his clawed heel, stalking away from the death scene. He didn't sheath his now-clean saber; he still had more to hunt down and delete, and it wouldn't feel right to do such a thing so prematurely. He wouldn't rest until he was done.   
  
Even if it was his duty to continue until the end of time. _

--

"Ira?"  
  
Ira Carraway started, realizing abruptly that someone was calling him. Shaking his head, he glanced sharply at Aero Veedramon with such a frown that the Ultimate Digimon instinctively recoiled, tattered wings drooping. Looking away, the silver-headed man focused his attention on the rusty wall before him as the dragon-type pressed his large body into the smoky shadows after him. Silently, his narrowed amethyst eyes roved up and down the length of the dark wall, looking for any weak spots.   
  
Aero Veedramon made a low growling sound, "Is there something wrong?"  
  
"No," Ira replied. He made no mention of the strange images – if he said he was hallucinating, he didn't have a doubt that the Digimon wouldn't waste any time on taking off on him. This far into the City, he certainly didn't trust the Ultimate enough to believe that he'd just run off and keep his mouth shut. "Just a sense of déjà vu."  
  
"Oh." For a long moment, the blue-skinned Digimon fell silent, and then continued, changing the subject. "What are you doing?" _This is a dead end._  
  
"Of course it's a dead end," the human replied automatically. He paused, as if momentarily startled, but then pressed on, with a shrug, his pale hands pressed up against the metal and feeling around searchingly. "I think there's a weak spot though – it's been patched up recently."  
  
"How can you tell?"  
  
Another shrug. _How can I explain it? That I've keep getting a feeling that I've been here before, when I know I _haven't_?_, "Doesn't matter – what _does_ is that we can get in from here." He rapped on the metal, his knuckles ringing off the wall. "See? Sounds hollow."  
  
Aero Veedramon reared up carefully on his heavily muscled hind legs, placing his fore claws on the wall. Ira stepped aside, his purple gaze focused on the wall – not once, as he talked, did he ever grace his companion with so much as a glance. Apparently he wasn't considering important enough for the attention. _Well, I guess I am really just tagging along. Don't know why, but it does make sense…_ It was clear that his strength was needed to clear the way and with an inaudible grunt, he pushed as hard as he could against the iron wall, his legs digging into the ground and scrabbling slowly for leverage as the white-clad human looked on. After several long moments of pushing and straining, he started to grit through his fangs:  
  
"I don't think–"  
  
His remark was cut abruptly cut off as the wall gave way underneath him, crumbling inward. The Ultimate tumbled after it, landing on the other side and nursing a sore nose; he'd done the smart thing and landed on it, which was pretty sensitive. Ira stepped in after him, his eyes almost seeming to glow violet as he entered the darkness. The cool gaze was cast scornfully over him.   
  
"Exactly. You don't think." Ira glanced about the darkened room as Aero Veedramon picked himself up sheepishly. "This must be the storage area for the materials."  
  
"It reeks of iron and copper." The holy dragon-type mumbled. The scent was making his nostrils irritated and he rubbed at his aching snout, grimacing, with a leathery paw. "The computer terminal should be located in the chief-of-staff's office." He paused, listening. From outside, even over the sounds of the close forge, he could hear the dull call of a siren. _Must be an air raid. Or something. Typical._ The wedge-shaped head craned down to regard the slender human in the pristine trench coat. "It appears that the City is under an attack."  
  
"Let's go – this distraction couldn't have been better timed." 

--

"Ah! Air raid! Battle stations!"  
  
"Whoa! Whoa! What's going on?" Garfield asked.  
  
"Air raid! We must counterattack!" DeviDramon replied before running outside and taking off into the sky.  
  
"I can't fight like this! I only have half a leg!" Garfield shouted as he hobbled away from the pool table.  
  
"Try this," said Datamon as he quickly constructed a peg leg and attached it to Garfield.  
  
"Thanks! Now let's go BlackAgumon!" Garfield shouted.  
  
"Right behind you boss!" BlackAgumon called out as he they ran outside. By then, the action had heated up as the Phoenix Armed Forces had begun a counter-attack on the Pteramon. However, most of the Phoenix troops couldn't fly and those that could had been shot down as they lifted off one-by-one.  
  
"BlackAgumon digivolve to DarkTyrannomon!" came the familiar call from behind Garfield.  
  
"DarkTyrannomon, get me back to the APC. I think I've something we can use!" Garfield shouted, "And you! Big flying bug! Follow us! It's important!" The Snimon that Garfield shouted at was reluctant to follow, but Greymon wised him up.  
  
"Come on! This is Garfield! He's helping us!" he growled.  
  
"Roger roger," Snimon quipped. The four had almost been hit a few times before they reached the APC.  
  
"It's gotta be in here somewhere... Wait!" Garfield shouted as he rummaged through his weapons, "No, that's not it. Oh! Here it is!" He ran out with a bazooka. "Snimon, I'll need you to get me in the air. Greymon, DarkTyrannomon, you two cover us."  
  
"Roger, roger," the three Digimon quipped. Snimon flew into the air with Garfield on his back. As they reached the top of the buildings, Garfield hopped off.  
  
"Wait here. I'll need a ride down," the mercenary ordered as he loaded the first round into his bazooka. He took careful aim at a Pteramon that was coming close and fired. The shot flew into its open mouth and caused the flying Digimon's head to explode.  
  
"There's one..." He reloaded and fired again, this time he hit a missile headed for DeviDramon before it could cause the big Digimon harm. He waved at Garfield as he gripped a Pteramon in his jaws and shook fiercely.  
  
"Well, I'm out of bazooka shots. Fly me around," Garfield said to Snimon as he pulled out a rifle. "I think it's time we did some hunting."

--

Aero Veedramon hissed under his breath as the large Digimon followed slowly after the white trenchcoat, his claws sinking a bit into the ash. As they entered deeper into the forge, the air got that much thicker and hotter. It was sweltering and uncomfortable - such temperatures he was unused to, and his serpentine tongue lolled out in a quiet, wheezing pant. It didn't help that his thick hide was itching irritably in the dirty air. His gray eyes glanced ahead at the human from underneath lowered lids; the human Ira didn't seem to even notice the clammy air.   
  
_You'd think he wasn't alive or something._   
  
"Right or left?" Ira had stopped, his slender form turning gracefully and fixing his gleaming amethyst eyes on the Digimon. Aero Veedramon hesitated, suddenly aware of how clumsy and bulky he looked in comparison to the lithe human.   
  
"Left or right?" He repeated coldly.  
  
Cursing mentally, the Ultimate finally answered, feeling rather foolish. "Right."  
  
Without another word, the white-clad human continued forward, rounding the corner. It was all the Digimon could do but follow, his tail swaying behind him as he squeezed his bulk into the corridor. _What does he want with a computer, anyway?_ It was beyond him - although the terminals had a lot of power, few knew how to use them in such a way that the Digital World could be manipulated. And there was something strange about the ease that the human navigated the pitch-black hallway. _Almost as if he's been here before..._ But that didn't make sense - if Ira _had_, then why did he ask for directions? Maybe parts of his memory were erased? That was a fairly common occurrence in the Digital World - sometimes there was an anomaly, and a virus would get in and attack a Digimon. Usually it was harmless, but sometimes the attack could affect one's memory. _But Ira's a human. I don't know how humans work._

--

That was true. He really couldn't make any assumptions.  
  
Ira frowned as he strode forward. The sensation that he'd been here before was growing, just as his unease was. There was something wrong, something that he didn't trust. The fine hairs on the back of his neck were rising in instinctive distrust. It increased as he drew closer and closer - for some unexplained reason, he knew that he was only several feet from a large metal door. His hunch proved to be correct as his outstretched hand touched against the cold, ashy steel. And that made him only that much more wary. There was something about this place...  
  
Behind him, Aero Veedramon cleared his throat: "Did you find something?"  
  
"It's nothing. Just a door." Before he knew what he was doing, his hand drifted over with that alien familiarity and was brushing against a keypad. A few blips and beeps, and his long fingers had punched in a code that he didn't remember learning before. _What the hell?_ He said nothing, however. Doing so would only cast doubt in his companions mind. Creaking, the door slid open: his catlike violet eyes narrowed as a red glow was cast in his face.  
  
Behind him, the Digimon rustled his furled wings, wincing at the heat spilling from the opened door.   
  
"That must be the smelting room."  
  
Ira frowned, "There's the office, but it's at the other end. Come on." With that said, the young man entered the room, his spotless white shoes stained scarlet in the glow of the smoldering red pit that occupied most of the space. The dragon-type followed carefully, glancing nervously at the pit. One misstep, and...well, it was better just not to think of that. 

--

"Woo! That was nuts!" said DarkTyrannomon as he, Garfield, Greymon, and Snimon shared drinks back at the barracks. Snimon grunted.

"I could go for a little less action like that if you ask me," he said.   
  
"Don't worry 'bout it. I heard we're going to participate in some kind of counter-attack, but that won't be for at least a week," Greymon replied.   
  
"How reassuring," Garfield mumbled as he gulped his drink down. "I'm gonna go for a walk."   
  
"Great! I'll come too!" DarkTyrannomon said as he leapt from his chair.   
  
"Nah. You stay here and hang out. I need to think and get the APC," Garfield said as he grabbed the crutch he made after the makeshift leg he had broke.   
  
"Suit yourself. Who's up for some poker or something?" Greymon asked as he got out a deck of cards.

Garfield started walking around the city. He started thinking about what he and his partner were going to do while in the Digital World. Working for the Phoenixes seemed to be the smart thing since that was what they were already doing. But this quest thing bothered him. If he and DarkTyrannomon really were supposed to be on a quest, how could they accomplish this? Heck, they didn't even know what to do. He decided they would stay with the Phoenixes when he saw something move in the shadows.   
  
"Who's there?" he shouted. He was answered by silence.   
  
"Must be losing it. Hearing things. Probably gonna start seeing things too..." he muttered as he continued on, slipping his hand onto the hilt of his sword in case he needed it.

--

This place was hauntingly familiar, and Ira Caraway didn't like it. It was suspicious that he would know all these codes, that he could find his way easily here. That, now that he thought about it, he didn't really need Aero Veedramon's guidance - for some reason, he already knew. With a jolt, he realized that he had been here before. But that didn't add up: he had a fairly good memory and he would have certainly remembered taking this route. The deafening noise alone would have been vivid.   
  
_What the hell is going on?_ He certainly didn't know - he trained himself for doing _the job_, not this introspection. But the growing sense of familiarity was only growing and he was becoming increasingly convinced that he _had_ been here. Behind him, the Ultimate cleared his throat nervously, glancing nervously at the smoldering smelting pit only a few feet away.   
  
"Ira...?"   
  
"What?"   
  
"You stopped." The dragon-type's talons tug in an anxious gesture into the floor. "Is there something wrong? This isn't exactly a good place to be stopping."   
  
"It's nothing." The silver-haired young man frowned, and continued his way forward, amethyst eyes narrowed. It _was_ certainly troubling, but more pressing was reaching his goal.

--

_He was mad. He didn't know what brought him to this deduction - it was something that he suddenly noticed one day. Not that he cared. Madness, faith: they were all the same. At least for him, they were. After the execution of the Were Garurumon, he had spent the past few days wandering through the plains - he had left the desert a while ago - and he hadn't come across any Digimon from any of the factions. __  
  
His large, feline violet eyes swept the rustling tall grass. Although he told himself that, being the material messenger of the Will of the Digital World, it was his right to walk forward without fear, the animal instincts that were programmed into his code were urging him to slink down onto all fours and stalk unseen.   
  
The biped Digimon didn't, however. He made no attempt to quiet the rattling of his saber in its jeweled sheath - he even opened his broad wings to absorb some of the sunlight as he pushed his way steadily across the prairie.   
  
No, he would not hide. He would continue on his way: he would raze, he would kill, he would delete as long as he was capable of moving. And, his crazed mind told him, it was his _right_ to move about as he wish. __  
  
After all, he_ was_ the tool of the Will of the Digital World. He would clean the Digital World of its sinners. Of everyone, if they were all guilty. _

--

"Ira!"   
  
With a start, Ira's slanted purple eyes flew open at the guttural shout from Aero Veedramon. He had started to slump forward and was now on the verge of falling into the red-hot smelting pit. Quick thinking on the dragon-type's part allowed him to push the horn on his nose forward - the trench-coat clad human hastily reached out and grabbed it, pulling himself away from any immediate danger.   
  
Aero Veedramon plodded forward until they were on the other side of the platform. His large, inhuman gray irises focused on his companion, for a moment showing involuntary concern. Ira frowned back at him.   
  
"What happened?"   
  
Ira gave a caustic snort at his own stupidity. "I slipped, apparently."   
  
"You don't slip." The Digimon told him. It was somehow obvious to the Ultimate that his human companion simply wasn't _that_ careless.   
  
The young human ran a hand through his hair, his violet eyes glancing back the way they had come. It didn't matter, and he deigned not to answer the question. "Let's go. We're almost there."

--

[Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"]

[In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face. Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right. Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay. David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky. As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back. The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly]

[Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset. Fal Micheal watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light. Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same. Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance. Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.]

[On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky. Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky. Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.]

[Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears. Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder. Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on]

[On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously. In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.]

[A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him. A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.]

--

Episode 8 Cast (In Order of Arrangement)

Garfield Magnus . . . . . . . . Draco Starcloud

Black Agumon

Greymon

Phoenix Soldiers

Hitorimon . . . . . . . . . . Pkmatrix

Kouyuu Fukushima . . . . . . . Corey

Ira Caraway . . . . . . . . . . . Camille Vidan

AeroVeedramon

WereGarurumon


	9. Break the Third Wall

[Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"]  
  
[A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.]  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
[We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.]  
  
[Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, then fades away.]  
  
[Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners]  
  
[Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building]  
  
[Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon]  
  
[We now see two Earths floating next to eachother in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.]  
  
[Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, then Celermon walks up behind him.]  
  
[All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladinmon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.]  
  
[All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.]  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER

--

**"Break the Third Wall" **

****

**Wednesday, April 8, 2071 **

**The Digital World…**

"Mwehehehehehehe!"

This strange, somewhat evil laugh came from a virus digimon that could have passed as Pichu's cousin. Yes, this was Ratmon, a complete Pokemon rip-off and freaking proud of it. And at the moment, he was involved in a most heinous crime.

Ratmon laughed more to himself as he dumped trash all over the ground. "Haha, take this, public park! I'm littering and there's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"Hold it right there, oh hideous fiend!"

Ratmon looked up at the voice...and regretted it as he looked into the sun. "Who're you calling hideous?!" he demanded to know as he groped around for a mirror.

"We are!"

Four figures leapt out from behind the bushes, arranging themselves in a dramatic pose.

"Elecmon!"

"Patamon!"

"Wizardmon!"

"And I'm Dianamon!"

Ratmon was still busy groping around for a mirror. "I am not hideous..." he muttered to himself. The group fell over, and then waited patiently as Ratmon produced a mirror, brushing up his fur and oh-so-red cheeks.

"Ya see? I'm gorgeous, even more so than you."

Dianamon pointed a finger at him again. "No creature who commits such atrocities can ever be considered beautiful! Now prepare to be beaten, monster!"

Ratmon was completely ignoring her. Instead, he was fixed on Elecmon. "You!!"

"You!" she spat back, fur bristling.

Sparks darted between their eyes for a moment, then Ratmon ventured to say something else. "Who are you again?"

Elecmon fell over. "I'm your arch-nemesis, you bleeding fool!" she yelled.

Ratmon scratched his nose. "Oh yeah, I knew that face looked familiar...but back to the topic! Prepare for a royal bootie kicking by yours truly!"

"As if," Dianamon said, sweatdropping.

There was a 'squish' sound, and then Wizardmon said innocently, "What Ratmon?"

"I hate you all," Ratmon muttered from under Wizardmon's foot.

"Okay, that does it! Time for me to bring out the big guns!" Ratmon yelled as he hauled out a cannon. "Prepare to die!"

"Ooh, pretty," Patamon remarked.

"Looks like Civil War vintage," Wizardmon commented.

"It wasn't literal!" Ratmon yelled back, "All right, no more figures of speech for you. Ratmon digivolve to..."

"SPARKYRATMON!"

Ratmon grew. And grew. He ended up around six feet tall, yellow all over with two brown stripes down his back. His tail grew flat and zigzaggedy, while his ears turned long and pointed. "Now I'm going to pound you insects into the ground! Sparkyratmon's Patented Shock Attack™!"

"Ayaaah!" the four screeched as they dove different ways to avoid the attack.

"That was nasty," Dianamon mumbled.

"We can't let him do it again," Elecmon muttered back. She began charging up her own electricity.

"Sparkyratmon's--"

"Not this time, pal!" Patamon yelled as he dived from the sky, "Boom Bubble, pah!"

Elecmon slipped around behind him. "Sparkling Thunder!"

"Owwie..." Sparkyratmon groaned as he was hit by both attacks. He shook his head to clear it and found Dianamon and Wizardmon in front of him. "Uh oh."

"You got it, pal," Wizardmon said dangerously. "Thunder Cloud!"

"Shiroi Gesshoku!" Dianamon added in. The two attacks swirled together and created a Ratmon steak.

"Ow..." Ratmon groaned, twitching slightly as the four walked off.

"We bad."

"Hey, look, someone's jaywalking!"

"Ah well, a hero's job is never done. Stop right there, you!"

--

Dianamon stretched, reaching for another fruit from the basket. "This feels good."

"Hey, don't hog it all!" Elecmon scolded as she grabbed one for herself. Her ears twitched and she looked around. "Where'd Wizardmon go?"

"Where does he always go?" Patamon replied, rolling over on his stomach and letting the sun warm his back. Dianamon looked up at the sky. The sun shone brilliantly down through a sky partially dotted by puffs of clouds. She put up a three-fingered hand, studying the silhouette against the sky. "Hard to imagine there's a ceiling up there..."

Elecmon shrugged as Dianamon rolled to her feet and walked off. "Where's she going?"

"Where does she always go?" Patamon replied.

--

Narrowed green eyes fixed on the milky white surface his hand laid against, as if an intense glare could burn a hole right through it.

"I figured you'd be here."

Wizardmon whirled, hand tightening on his staff, but he relaxed as he spied Dianamon. "What do you want?"

She casually tossed him an apple. "Aren't you hungry?"

He caught it, regarding it for a moment. "I've got...other things on my mind," he answered, turning back to the wall which seemed to stretch endlessly high until it became one with the sky.

Dianamon sighed worriedly. "Why do you let this get to you so much? I mean, for all we know, this is all there is to the world. This one city."

"No." Wizardmon's eyes were hard. "There's more, I'm sure of it. There are others out there, watching us. Like animals in a cage!" A fist slammed into the wall.

"Wizardmon, stop it," Dianamon said, tugging on his shoulders.

"Let me go," he said coldly. He paused as he realized the other Digimon's hands had slipped from his shoulders. He turned. Dianamon's eyes were unfocused, as if she was seeing something that didn't belong in the natural world.

"You see them?" he asked quietly.

She nodded slightly, not taking her eyes off it.

He nodded. "Let's go get the others."

--

"Patamon, Elecmon! Dianamon's spotted some of them."

The bat-like ears twitched as Patamon jumped to his feet. "You mean those Creepmon things?"

Dianamon managed a nod. "They came from Fifth Street. I think it was a fight or something."

Though she could see them, Dianamon could tell the others very little about the imp-like Digimon. She wasn't even sure if 'Creepmon' was the proper name for them. All she knew is that they appeared whenever someone did something evil or wrong and that a lot of them could make a virus digimon more powerful. The others knew the very presence of the things could send Dianamon into terrified fits.

"All right, let's go then!"

--

**Toyama, Japan**

"KAOOOOO-CHAAAAAN!"

A vein popped out on the tall girl's forehead as she pushed the other girl off her not-too-gently. "Hikaru, how many times have I told you, 'don't call me Kao-chan'!"

"Demo, kawaii desu yo! Kao-chan!" the cheerful blonde squealed, poking Kaoline mercilessly.

"Whatever..." She dusted off her clothes as she entered the run-down mechanic shop where she worked.

"Kao-chan!" her boss greeted her as she came in. She refrained from a sigh of frustration. Apparently Hikaru, her boss's daughter, had got her dad doing it too.

"Ohayou."

Even as she spoke, the hairs on the back of her neck tingled. She turned slightly, looking back out onto the street. A dark shadow flashed before her.

_It's that thing again!_

"Stop! Thief!"

The woman's cry brought Kaoline back to the real world. Dropping her tool bag, she began to run after the teenaged punk, oblivious to the yells of her boss.

"Kisama, yamete!" she yelled as she leapt, tackling him and knocking them both down. There was a brief struggle in which Kaoline made it clear that she didn't mind roughing him up if he insisted on fighting back.

Out of her peripheral vision, she spotted the dark creature. It reminded her of a miniature demon. Without another thought she made a quick movement and stomped on the thing. It squealed and dissipated into a thousand tiny bits.

_What are those things? Am I just going crazy?_ Kaoline thought to herself. They seemed to turn up every time something like this happened. She couldn't explain it, but somehow, the things terrified her to her soul.

"Kao-chan, daijoubu desu ka?" Hikaru asked as she finally caught up with the taller girl.

"Ee. Call the cops on this scum." Kaoline turned away from her friend, only to stare into two large golden eyes.

_Nande koitsu?!_

As soon as she had seen them, the eyes vanished, leaving her in reality once more.

--

The Digital World 

_THOMP! THOMP! THOMP!_  
  
_What was with these people?_  
  
_THOMP! THOMP! THOMP!_  
  
_They knew they were in danger yet never even bothered to build trap doors if they were staying in this territory._  
  
Coming into the doorway a large birdlike figure stood at the threshold, it's feline face in place of a beak and ram horns atop his head, watched a figure covered in a sand hued cloak scuttle about the floor like a bug stamping and sweeping at the ground with hands and feet sending up small clouds of dust into the air. He took a moment to look around the inside of the clay and thatched hut, same as the others in the village, with its overturned furniture, broken dishes, and completely shambled facade. "Got water. Anything on your end?"  
  
His partner took a few moments before looking up from his work and began to pick himself off the floor. "Nothing," he dusted himself off. "That makes the fourth village in three weeks. All of its inhabitants kidnapped, not a single escapee, not a single trapdoor. Do you think the Phoenix Armed Forces did this?"  
  
"Well… they claimed much of this area as their own so it's likely. I doubt they'd let this go on without doing something about it if they weren't behind this."  
  
"Probably so," he replied while walking past his partner, back out to the center of the empty village. They stood there for a moment listening to the meek wind that blew and timid clouds of dust that stirred about. Fingering the straps about his cloak about his shoulders he traced one down to the pouch that rested at his hip. Reaching into his pouch, the human shuffled through its contents and pulled out a piece of paper and began unfolding it. "Any guesses at what time they could've came for them?"  
  
"Best guess would probably be at night. Maybe early morn when it's still dark. It's what I'd probably do. They wouldn't see it coming."  
  
The human nodded in agreement and began looking at the sketchy drawings on the paper. This was one that involved much of the surrounding area, various shapes with little detail that marked places, oblong shapes marking water, names of places, notes, and near the edge just beyond a large circle that was noted as the City of Machines was a large question mark. "And if what the Togemon said is true before it went to pieces," he took an index finger and began tracing a path about the paper. "They were all taken to a garrison somewhere beyond the City of Machines."   
  
"From the looks of it," the digimon looked over his shoulder. "It would seem that they're starting from the garrison, moving as far as they can to the farthest village, then return to the garrison. Then repeating the process. That doesn't make too much sense."  
  
"Maybe," the human replied. "But if you start from the farthest point and work your way inward you can regulate any word of your doings from getting out. Those who do escape won't find any help farther down the road. By just starting with the closest, any information that makes it way out of your grasp will. If a mon is able to evade capture they could run farther out, to the next village for help," he turned to his partner. "Get it?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. That only leaves the problem of whether the villages nearer the garrison know anything about this."  
  
He thought about it for a moment. "That I don't know."  
  
"So… what do we do now?" the digimon rocked on its heels.  
  
"Depends," he began folding the paper and placing it back to his pouch. "You think you're up for the trip?"  
  
"Sure, sure, though that's a lot of area to cover beyond the city. But aren't we going to get help first?"  
  
His partner gave him a skeptical look. "You honestly think they'll help us save a bunch of villagers, let alone villagers that dwelled inside enemy territory?"  
  
The digimon only looked at the ground slightly ashamed. "Guess not. So that means we're going to go at this alone."  
  
"Hopefully not. Hopefully we'll find some help along the way. Maybe villages that haven't been hit yet. Maybe some folks within the city."  
  
"And if we come across Phoenix or the others," he asked as he crouched lower to the ground.  
  
"We'll try not to run into them," he straddled the digimon's back. "If we do… well… we'll just have to wing it won't we?"  
  
"Guess so. Hang on."  
  
At a steady pace the digimon traveled with his partner atop him. Atop him the human cloaked himself as much as he could to keep himself guarded from the sun as he kept lookout for anything be it another village or a digimon, to warn his partner of, only taking a moment every now and then to give his eyes a rest from strain and mirages.  
  
Across the parched land and rocky outcroppings they traveled, little grass and no water in sight from what they could tell. Eventually they came onto another village, and upon investigation came upon the same results as the last and continued on.  
  
"Eh? Celermon, do you see that?" he rubbed his eyes for a moment then pointed to a small gray pillar in the distance.  
  
"Yeah. Another village?"  
  
"Another village."  
  
"Fire seems to be dieing out from the looks of it. Maybe they've been attacking during the day?"  
  
"If so then the villagers that were there must've found out what they were during beforehand or were able to fight back. Let's get a closer look. Go slow, tread carefully," he stated setting his bow on his lap and reaching within his quiver.  
  
"Will do."

--

**Toyama, Japan   
**  
"Found the problem yet?"

"Chotto matte yo!" she snapped back as she squirmed a little, working her way under the 2066 Toyota Cecila. "Damn transmission...now, what's the problem?"

A spare bit of metal caught her eye. "Aha." With a grunt, she shoved her wrench into the crack and managed to wrap her fingers around the thing. It let off a soft glow. "What kind of idiot drops their GBA into an engine?" she muttered.

With a significant amount of tugging and cursing, coupled with a liberal spreading of grease and general filth, the piece came forth. The thing wasn't a GBA as she had first guessed, it was too small. "Must be one of those virtual pet things or something," she shrugged as she stuffed it in her chest pocket and began working on repairing the transmission.

--

**The Digital World…**

Dianamon couldn't identify the sound that woke her up. It sounded rather like a saw, or a hammer breaking something. Crawling out of bed, she left her apartment and wandered toward the source of the noise. It wasn't far.

"Wizardmon..."

The digimon whirled; tense, until Dianamon stepped from the shadows. "Oh, it's you."

"What are you doing?"

"I can't take this," he snapped. "Here we're nothing more than animals in a cage for people to gawk at!" He fired a beam at the unimposing wall.

Dianamon's eyes widened as the wall cracked. "Stop that!" she hissed. "You're going to get caught!"

"I don't care!" he yelled.

Dianamon froze, hoping no one had heard. To her horror, she heard the sounds of someone approaching...sounded like three. "Get down!" she hissed impatiently, dragging the other to the ground.

A pair of bat-like ears popped into view. "Wizardmon? Dat you?"

Dianamon sat up. "Oh, it's you guys." Wizardmon sullenly threw her off. Ignoring him, she went over to Patamon and Elecmon, the latter prodding forth Ratmon, who seemed to be holding something.

A slight chill went down Dianamon's spine. "What's this about?"

"We caught him sneaking around with this," Elecmon said, pushing him forward.

Ratmon sulked as he clutched the digiegg to himself. "I found it, it doesn't belong to anyone! I want to keep it."

Dianamon stared in horror at the egg. She could _feel_ the evil energy rolling off it like mist out of a humidifier. Creepmon hovered around it, slipping inside the shell and assimilating themselves with the creature inside. It was happening again.

"Iie..."

The others looked at her. "What's up, Diana?" Patamon queried.

"So-sono tamago..." she stammered, pale, "A...Akuma da!" she screamed before collapsing in a heap.

"Dianamon!" Wizardmon caught the girl digimon.

Ratmon looked at Elecmon and Patamon. "What'd she say?"

"Beats me," Patamon replied.

Wizardmon looked up as a slight hum reached him. "Oh, shit! Dronemon!"

The robot-like digimon were part of an almost-secret police force; they rarely showed up as their main job was keeping digimon from leaving the city. Wizardmon threw his cloak over Dianamon's still form, covering her. Patamon and Elecmon dove for cover, leaving Ratmon out in the open as the Dronemon arrived, taking in the lone Digimon and the cracked wall.

"_SUBJECT MADE ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE. INFRACTION PUNISHABLE BY DEATH. SET PHASERS TO DELETE._"

"Hey, wait!" Ratmon yelled, panicked. "I didn't do anything!" He hid behind the only cover available to him, the egg, as the Dronemon fired.

Space around the egg and Ratmon almost seemed to warp. The beams seemed to curve, some striking the wall behind Ratmon, more reflected back at the Dronemon, deleting them by their own weapons. Stray shots went everywhere. Wizardmon leapt, snatching the covered Dianamon off the ground. Her eyes were wide open, and she clung to him like a frightened child, shivering.

The first thing Ratmon noticed when he opened his eyes again was that he wasn't deleted, nor was anyone trying to kill him immediately. The second he noticed was the gaping hole in the wall. "Well, screw this!" he squeaked, racing out the hole.

The four remaining Digimon regrouped, staring at the hole. Patamon spoke first. "There is a world outside the city, after all."

"Wizardmon, put me down," Dianamon said quietly. "I have to go after him. The egg..."

"That won't be necessary," he said seriously. "I'll carry you out. You don't seem like you need to walk for a bit, anyway."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Wizardmon..."

"You think I'd let a chance like this go by?"

"I'm coming too," Elecmon said. "I don't trust Ratmon. Whatever's out there, he'll probably screw it up."   
Patamon flapped his ears. "Well, I'm not staying here without you guys. C'mon, let's get out of here before more of those Dronemon show up!"

Four digimon stepped into the unknown, into the night.

--

**Toyama, Japan**

  
  
Kaoline collapsed in her chair as she started up her email program. The reassuring tone informed her that, yes, someone did know her email existed, after all.

"Spam...spam...spam, spam, lovely spam, wonderful spam. Is there anything interesting in here?" She paused at an email from an address she didn't recognize with an attachment.

"Probably that damn Klex virus...again." Unlike most of the previous virus-infested emails she'd gotten, this one seemed to have an actual message. She scanned the preview without opening it.   
  
Kaoline Shokai   
  
It's not Klex. (How reassuring, she thought.) This little video has something you've seen before.   
  
"Oh, goody," she muttered, her finger hovering over the delete button. Curiosity got the best of her, but didn't overcome her caution, so she scanned the file for viruses before running the small AVI. She watched in slight bemusement as some critters scampered across the screen and some robots came and fired upon one unlucky one. "Poor sod. Someone's having too much fun with their 3D animation programs, though they get points off for the Pokemon wannabe. I want to know how they did that warp effect, though..."

She paused suddenly and halted the video, skipping back a bit and staring at the still frame of the Pokemon wannabe clutching an egg. It wasn't that in itself that interested her but the strange creatures clinging to the shell.

"I've seen those before..."

--

Kaoline was having a restless sleep. In her dream, she could see the little _youkai_ swarming all over, and no matter how many she stomped or squished, they kept coming back, clinging to her.

_I need help,_ she thought feverishly. _Why? What are these things, and how come I'm the only one who can see them?!_

"You can see them too?"

Golden eyes stared back at her. _Who are you?!_ Kaoline demanded.

The ground under her feet suddenly ceased to exist. Kaoline let out a scream as she fell into an endless void.

While tossing and turning in her sleep, she had unwittingly grabbed the small device she had left on her nightstand. It glowed slightly as Kaoline vanished from the Real World.

--

[Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"]

[In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face. Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right. Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay. David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky. As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back. The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly]

[Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset. Fal Micheal watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light. Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same. Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance. Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.]

[On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky. Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky. Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.]

[Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears. Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder. Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on]

[On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously. In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.]

[A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him. A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.]

--

Episode 12 Cast (In Order of Arrangement)

Kaoline Shokai . . . . . . . . . Tiakall

Dianamon

Wizardmon

Elecmon

Patamon

Ratmon

Dronemon

Jajan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blue Meth

Celermon


	10. Section 5 Strikes

[Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"]  
  
[A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.]  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
[We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.]  
  
[Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, then fades away.]  
  
[Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners]  
  
[Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building]  
  
[Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon]  
  
[We now see two Earths floating next to each other in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.]  
  
[Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, then Celermon walks up behind him.]  
  
[All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladinmon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.]  
  
[All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.]  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER

--

**"Section 5 Strikes"**

**Wednesday, April 8, 2071**

**Somewhere Near Fort Aleksandrea…**

The fort of Aleksandrea actually looked peaceful at this time of night, despite the great activity that goes on at that fort. It was now apparent; Serpentmon had rejoined their ranks, by the sounds of celebration and cheering going on. The desert Digimon didn't seem to mind, as they rather liked the activity compared to the usual silence.  
  
However, the desert Digimon weren't the only ones that noticed the activity.   
  
"Man, boss, you were right," Impmon said, as he looked toward the fort, "They did get one of their greatest leaders back. I never heard so much cheering from a Dragon Vanguard fort."  
  
_As I predicted, Impmon._ A lone shadow floated in the sky. The only thing that was noticeable of this Digimon was it's two red eyes. _Are the troops set for battle?_  
  
"We have 120 Scorpiomon for ground attack and 40 Pteramon for air assault. Plus, we have Garudamon to lead the assault. As per your instructions, sir," Impmon said up to the shadow.  
  
_Good, good, you will be very well rewarded then, Impmon._ The eyes flared from blood red to crimson. Impmon could barely hold his excitement.  
  
_The time has now come to retrieve 'the one'. PYRAMID POWER!!_  
  
Across the desert, a large bright light shown over the sandy plains. The signal had been made. Out of the sand, over a hundred bug-like Digimon scurried out of the surface and towards Fort Aleksandrea...

--

Callie woke up slowly. She could feel the presence of someone familiar close by but she couldn't place it. She slowly sat up and looked around. The room was unfamiliar.   
  
"Where am I?" she swung her legs over the side of the bed and put them on the floor. She stood up wobbly and sat back down with a thud.   
  
A door opened and a familiar figure appeared.   
  
"Callie!" Psymon ran over and hugged her partner. "I was so worried about you!"   
  
"I'm sorry, Psymon. I should have listened to you and not run," Callie said petting the little fox's head.  
  
"It's okay, Callie. I'm just glad your okay." Psymon looked up at Callie.   
  
Callie smiled and then stood up again. "Where are we?"  
  
"Fort Aleksandrea," Psymon said, taking her place on the bed.  
  
"How did I get here? The last thing I remembered was being out in the desert..." Callie replied, walking around the room.  
  
"Fal carried you here. There's another guy here too. His name is David. He's paired with a Veemon," Psymon said.  
  
"Fal carried me?" Callie asked, amazed.  
  
Psymon nodded her head. "He didn't seem to mind either."  
  
Callie blushed a deep red. She cleared her throat and changed the subject. "So where are they right now?"  
  
"Both of their Digimon are officers, so they're showing their partners around. I stayed in here mostly. I don't want anyone to recognize me from the reports that I'm sure are going around..." Psymon explained, a little bit quieter than before, "Dinner is in a few minutes so I came back here to see if you were awake yet."   
  
Callie nodded. "I see." She walked over to the foot of the bed where her bag was laying. "Too bad I don't have something a little more impressive to wear…" she lifted out her skirt to her uniform.  
  
Psymon shrugged. "I think you look great no matter what, Callie."

"Thanks, Psymon." Callie changed her shorts to her skirt and changed her shoes. A knock on the door sounded as she finished the last catch.

"Come in," Callie called. The Elecmon that had taken care of her earlier opened the door.

"Ah, Miss Kana, your awake. I'm here to show you to dinner."  
  
"Thank you, but how did you know my name?" asked Callie while standing up.   
  
The Elecmon looked at her and replied, "Fal, told me."  
  
"I see…" Callie looked at Psymon. "Coming?"  
  
Psymon looked at her. "Are you kidding? I'm not leaving you alone in this place!" She jumped off the bed and followed Callie and Elecmon out the door.   
  
Callie followed the Elecmon down the hall. Psymon seemed a little sullen and kept her head down as she passed officers. Eventually, the three emerged into a large courtyard.   
  
"I'll take my leave of you now, Miss Kana. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask anyone." And with that, he walked off.   
  
Callie looked around for Fal. "Where is he?"  
  
Psymon looked up at her. "Do you like him or something?"  
  
Callie blushed again. "What!? No, I mean yes, as a friend, I just want to thank him. I mean..."  
  
Psymon giggled, "He's over there." She pointed to where he, Serpentmon, and another Digimon stood. Callie picked her way through the crowd and walked up towards them.

"Fal!" she called.   
  
"Kana?" he looked at her.   
  
Callie stopped at the bottom step and looked at what Fal was wearing. The uniform changed him drastically from what she remembered of him. He looked...  
  
"Callie?" Psymon looked at her.   
  
Callie looked at her Digimon. "Sorry." She walked up the stairs to him. Now she really wished she had something more than her school uniform. She felt slightly awkward around him.   
  
"Hi, Kana."   
  
"Hi, Fal. It's been a long time," she said, smiling.  
  
Fal nodded. "How have you been?"   
  
"I'm fine..." she replied. She kicked at the floor with her shoe.   
  
Psymon rolled her eyes and walked over to Serpentmon.   
  
"Pathetic isn't it," she remarked.  
  
"In a way," the serpentine digimon replied, glancing towards at her, "Yet, it's not so. They're friends from way back." He looked Psymon over carefully.   
  
Psymon swallowed a little, but mustered the courage to look back at him.

"So..." she said.   
  
"Exactly my thoughts," he replied.

--

David looks over his new uniform with a smile; he'd always wanted an excuse to wear a cape. Hastily, he tries to brush his hair somewhat with his hand, before taking off a pair of sunglasses he'd picked up and looking over at Akira.  
  
"So...you didn't say you were a Captain," says David, trying to generate conversation.  
  
"Oh, well I don't really pay much attention to it. I'm still not even sure how I got this far," replies Akira.  
  
"You're the same rank as my father," David says with a smile.  
  
"Your father is a soldier?" asks the Veemon.  
  
"Pilot in the USAF," replies David, "He's a fighter pilot."  
  
"USAF?" asks Akira, a bit confused.  
  
"It stands for 'United States Air Force'," David replies. With a sigh, he looks down at the stone floor. "I wonder if I'll ever get back home…" Akira smiles at him.  
  
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure you will," he says.  
  
"Yeah, you're right, Akira," David answers as the two walk through a door and enter a large courtyard. A short distance away, David spots Fal and Kana, along with Serpentmon and Psymon.  
  
"David!" says Fal as he reaches the group, "This is my friend, Kana. Kana, this is David."  
  
"And I am Panjyamon," says a familiar voice, as the group turns to face the large Digimon, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Kana. We will be eating in the Banquet hall, follow me please." Panjyamon turns and most of the group follows. Akira looks up at the star-filled sky for a moment.  
  
"I have a bad feeling..." he whispers, before following.

--

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!_

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" a random Digimon cried out, needlessly. There is another explosion, which toppled Fal, David and Kana over.

Fal landed backwards, on his cape, "Crap, I just got this thing ironed!" he spoke humorlessly.  
  
Just then, a big explosion broke through the wall, revealing a whole squad of Scorpiomon. The Scorpiomon, a large, bony insect Digimon, with two pincers and a stinger, scurried into the fort.  
  
"Fal?" Serpentmon stood ready. He wasn't the type to linger around.  
  
"Right..." Fal whipped out his Digivice and Serpentmon immediately began to glow.  
  
"Serpentmon digivolve to...." the white glow soon grew into a larger glow, "SEADRAMON!" The glow ended to reveal a large, dark blue sea dragon where Serpentmon was a minute ago.

"Ok, Seadramon, you know the drill," Fal said confidently.  
  
"SEA DRAGON BURST!"

Seadramon let out a beam of energy from his mouth, wide enough that it deleted five of the Scorpiomon in one hit. Callie looked at Psymon.

"PSYMON!" she called. Psymon looked at her and nodded.

"I'm ready."  
  
Callie pulled out her digivice. It glowed bright blue.  
  
"PSYMON DIGIVOLVE TO...PSYDRAMON!"  
  
Fal looked at Callie and Psydramon. "You don't have to help, you know."  
  
"They open fire on me and my partner, they're going to pay!" Callie replied.   
  
Psydramon nodded her head. "Point the way! I'm ready!"

"Care to join the party?" asks Fal, turning to David and Akira. But David doesn't respond, his eyes fixed on Seadramon. Before, when Serpentmon digivolved, he hadn't paid much attention. But now....  
  
"I...I don't know...how..." he mumbles, reaching into his pocket, pulling out the digivice and pushing the analyzer button.  
  
**Scorpiomon [Glitch]. Champion level Digimon, Ancient Crustacean type.  
  
Attribute: Data  
  
Special Attacks: Tail Blade, Twin Sword**  
  
"DAVID!" yells Akira, ramming the human out of the way as one of the Scorpiomon tries to slash at him, knocking them both against the wall. The Scorpiomon tries to stab at them again, but instead is suddenly deleted.  
  
"Don't just sit there! Captain, digivolve, now!" yells Panjyamon, attacking another Scorpiomon.  
  
"I don't know how!" Akira shouts back.

"HE CAN'T DIGIVOLVE!!?" Fal yelled out, shocked.  
  
"What?! Serpentmon and Psymon can, why can't you?!" yells David, confused. Akira stands up and looks at him.  
  
"It's an acquired trait, you need enough experience to do it naturally," he says, just as the wall behind him explodes and another Scorpiomon plows through.  
  
"They're tearing the place apart!" yells David, as the Scorpiomon turns towards him and Akira.  
  
"Stay away from him!" yells Akira, suddenly leaping up and headbutting the symbol on the Digimon's head, sending it reeling. David takes the opening and runs though the hole Scorpiomon had made in the wall, finding that it led back outside.  
  
"Akira, come on!" yells David, as Akira dives out of the way from the Scorpiomon's attack and makes a run for it.

"TAIL BLADE!"

Another Scorpiomon aimed to sting Akira. Fal, jin-tu training kicking in, immediately jumped in front of Akira and grabbed the tail sting with the palms of his hands on either side. Using his strength he held it there, until…

"SEA DRAGON BURST!"

Seadramon let out the blue beam and immediately deleted the Scorpiomon.  
  
"Nice timing," Fal thanked his Digimon.

"Thanks!" yells Akira to Fal, turning and running after David, who is already outside.   
  
However, no matter how much Seadramon or Psydramon attacked, Scorpiomon kept pouring into the base. Not intelligent Digimon, as they just poured in and attacked, but there were too many of them for only two champion Digimon to handle. Panjyamon and the Dragon Vanguard Digimon were having just as much trouble dealing with the swarm.  
  
Slowly, the base was starting to get overrun...

--

**The City of Machines**  
  
_What's that light?_ Hitorimon watches the flickering light on the horizon from atop one of the buildings. It almost looked like flames...  
  
_Damn, he's going to ruin everything._  
  
"What!" she gasps, "Commandant! You startled me!" A shadowy figure looks down at Hitorimon grimly.  
  
_Still spying on the Digital Khan? If you want to be a useful spy, you will go to that light._

"What is it?"  
  
_Fort Aleksandrea. An ally is launching an attack._ The voice has a tinge of bitterness. _Section Five.  
_  
"Section Five...? I haven't..." replies Hitorimon, confused.  
  
_Only a few know of them._ There is an ominous tone to the commandant's voice. _But that doesn't matter. Dammit, he's ruining our war game!_

Hitorimon just stares at the shadow blankly.  
  
_I should complain to the others…_ And with that, the presence leaves and Hitorimon is alone once again.

--

**Fort Aleksandrea**  
  
The battle is going horribly for the Dragon Vanguard, Scorpiomon are everywhere!  
  
_Crap, we're screwed!_ thinks Akira, just as several explosions go off nearby.  
  
"Pteramon!" he yells, as several of the Pterannodon-like Digimon fly past overhead.  
  
"Can't these guys fight back? The base will be captured in a few minutes at this rate!" yells David as three more Scorpiomon appear nearby.  
  
"There are too many of them!" replies Akira, as one of the Scorpiomon rushes towards them, only to get rammed into a wall by a Guardromon. Two other Guardromon, along with a Tankmon, come up from behind the two and open fire on the Scorpiomon. But, nothing is on target as the missiles and tank shells explode around the crustaceans.  
  
_Three mobile suits and a tank..._ thinks David, as the four machine and cyborg-type Digimon slowly start to back away from the Scorpiomon.  
  
"T-they're too strong!" says one of the Guardromon fearfully, as David runs in front the group and glares at the enemy, who's been reinforced by four more Scorpiomon. David then turns to Akira, Tankmon, and the Guardromon.  
  
"Akira, distract the Scorpiomon! You guys in the mobile suits, while they're distracted use your jump jets to get above them and blast them with your missiles!" yells David.  
  
"Hey, who do you think you are?" replies one of the Guardromon, "And we're _Guardromon_, not mobile-whatevers!"  
  
"Quiet! Do you realize who you're talking too?!" yells Akira.  
  
"No…"  
  
"I am David Milliard, the Digital Khan," says David grimly, "And if you want to live, you'll follow my orders. NOW!"  
  
"Wha-WHAT? YOU'RE the Digital Khan?!" yells Guardromon, as Tankmon turns and starts firing at several Scorpiomon who'd appeared behind them.  
  
"Will you guys stop arguing and help me out here?!" he yells, firing his main cannon.  
  
"You, assist Tankmon," orders David, guessing the Digimon's name, "You two use your boosters to hover over the Scorpiomon over there and let them have it!" Without another word of complaint, the Digimon spring into action. The Guardromon quickly fly above the Scorpiomon and fire their missiles into their faces, ripping the crustaceans' bodies to shreds. David climbs up on Tankmon's head and looks out at the group of six Scorpiomon he is firing at, then hopes playing that Tank Sim his mom got him for Christmas was enough to make this come out right.  
  
"Main Cannon, correction: 10 degrees left. Three round burst, FIRE!" orders David. Tankmon quickly figures out what he's talking about and shoots at the desired enemy, sending the monster flying into a nearby building.  
  
"Damn, these things are tougher than they look...finish it with the Machine Guns!" says David, as the Tankmon pelts the general area with a hail of bullets. Meanwhile, Akira just stands there, feeling a bit useless.  
  
_Damn...if I could Digivolve then I could help David and the others! But I can't...I'm so stupid..._ he thinks.  
  
"I'm USELESS!" yells Akira, kicking at Tankmon's treads.  
  
"Hey, watch it!" says Tankmon, accidentally knocking David to the ground.  
  
"Ow..." he says.  
  
"You okay?" asks Akira, helping up.  
  
"Uh...we're in the middle of a losing battle, under attack by an unknown number of Scorpiomon...what do you think?" asks David.  
  
"Sorry..." replies Akira quietly. _Sorry for being so useless..._  
  
"Dammit, we need more troops...Akira! Do you know if there are any mobile suits on this base?" asks David, suddenly getting an idea.  
  
"Any what?" the Veemon replies, no clue in the world what he's talking about.  
  
"Mobile suits...they're pilotable robots," explains David.  
  
"Oh! You mean Mekanorimon!" says Akira, finally understanding what he means, "I think so..."  
  
"How far away are they kept?" asks David, as the Pteramon fly over again and fire missiles down, causing large explosions nearby.  
  
"Not far...over there, I think!" says Akira, pointing towards what appeared to be a wrecked hangar.  
  
"Okay, I want you to get over there and see if there are any other Digimon there. If there are, have them pilot any of the Mekanorimon still there, you will be commander of that team," orders David.  
  
"Yes sir!" replies Akira with a smirk, saluting and running off.

--

**Nearby...**  
  
A squad of five Pteramon fly over the main the gate of the base, where much of the Dragon Vanguard forces are fighting against the Scorpiomon.  
  
"ICE BEAST FIST!"  
  
Suddenly, the lead Pteramon is hit by a powerful Ice attack. It spins out of control and slams into three of the others, deleting them instantly. The last barely dodges the onslaught, only to be hit by another ice attack, deleting it instantly.  
  
_Damn, where did these monsters come from? There's so many!_ thinks Panjyamon, leaping forward and stabbing his sword into another Scorpiomon's torso, deleting it.  
  
"So, we finally meet."  
  
Panjyamon looks up to see the source of the voice. The Digimon smirks and raises its sword.  
  
"Its you...Garudamon," says Panjyamon, leaping towards the bird-like Ultimate and slashing with his sword, but it quickly parries.  
  
"And you, my worthy adversary, shall die!"

--

Darkness. A low hum as the engines activate. Various systems activate and illuminate the dim cockpit, revealing Akira at the controls. He flips a few more switches as the HUD appears on the front part of the dome, then he grips to the two control levers. Several small screens appear.  
  
"This is Unit 2, I'm ready."  
  
"Unit 3, all systems are Go."  
  
"Unit 4, I'm set."  
  
"Captain, this is Unit 5, all systems are showing green."  
  
"This is Captain Veemon Akira, all units, LAUNCH!"  
  
_  
[Cue - Target Akai Shougeki]  
_  
  
David looks over as multiple explosions rip across the main door of the hangar Akira had entered, a large plume of smoke and fire erupting from it as the five Mekanorimon jet out of the hangar.  
  
"Yes!" yells David, as Akira's Mekanorimon jets into the air in the direct path of a squadron of Pteramon. They open fire on him with their missiles, but Akira swerves out of the way and activates the Mekanorimon's main weapon, a beam cannon that moves up from the Mobile Suit-like Digimon's back and locks into place on its right shoulder. Akira fires the beam cannon and immediately deletes three of the Pteramon, dispersing the others.  
  
"Heh, the power of a Champion," says Akira, landing his Mekanorimon on top of another building. Three of the other Mekanorimon come up next to David and the Guardromon.  
  
"You three, fire at will!" orders David, as the Mekanorimon lock their beam cannons in place and fire at the Scorpiomon. The last Mekanorimon charges at the Scorpiomon, picking one up and tossing it at the others. Another Scorpiomon comes up from behind and slashes the Mekanorimon's back, sending it reeling, but it quickly spins around and fires the beam cannon into the Digimon's face, deleting it.  
  
"BONZAI!" yells Akira, his Mekanorimon jumping from atop the building down into another group of Scorpiomon, killing one with the beam cannon, but quickly getting rammed through the wall by another.  
  
"What the...?!" yells Fal, watching as what looks like a Mobile Suit gets plowed through another wall by a Scorpiomon. The mobile suit rams its attacker again, sending it across the room towards Seadramon and Psydramon.  
  
"PSYCHIC FIST!" yells Psydramon, launching her attack at the Scorpiomon, deleting it.  
  
"Thanks, Psydramon," says the Mekanorimon with a wave.  
  
"Wait...that voice..." says Fal, "AKIRA?!"  
  
"Yeah, it's me, but let's talk later! We have to stop these guys before they destroy everything!" Akira replies.  
  
"Right!" says Kana.

--

****

**The Internet, the Real World**

_ShinCrow78 has entered the room!_

_

  
Rose618 has entered the room!

  


_Rose618: What is it?

  
ShinCrow78: That idiot, he's interfering with my wargame!

  
Rose618: What? Who?

  
ShinCrow78: Section 5

Rose618: Oh...

ShinCrow78: What gives him the right to interfere?!

Rose618: Just calm down...

__

_NeoS9 has entered the room!_

__

NeoS9: Mari IMed me. Relax. You're not the only one playing this wargame.

ShinCrow78: But he's interfering in my personal match with the Digital Khan!

NeoS9: He has a right to. It's HIS game!

ShinCrow78: But...why aren't you angry?!

NeoS9: Aleksandrea is very insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Rose618: You say that about every base.

NeoS9: I speak only the truth.

ShinCrow78: --

ShinCrow78: I'll let it slide this time, but if he does this again...

Rose618: What are you going to do? Complain? He'll kick you out of the game if you do.

ShinCrow78: Dammit...

ShinCrow78: I'll have Hitorimon continue spying on the Khan then.

NeoS9: Ah. Keep me posted, I want to see how well he does against you.

__

_ShinCrow78 has left the room!_

_Rose618 has left the room!_

NeoS9: Don't disappoint me, David.

__

_NeoS9 has left the room!_

--

[Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"]

[In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face. Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right. Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay. David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky. As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back. The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly]

[Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset. Fal Micheal watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light. Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same. Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance. Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.]

[On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky. Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky. Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.]

[Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears. Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder. Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on]

[On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously. In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.]

[A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him. A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.]

--

Episode 10 Cast (In Order of Arrangement)

Fal Micheals . . . . . . . . . . . . Anubis

Serpentmon

Impmon

Garudamon

Kana Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . Renee Aarons

Psymon

Elecmon

David Milliard . . . . . . . . . . Pkmatrix

Veemon Akira

Dragon Vanguard Soldiers

Hitorimon

NeoS9 and the Alias


	11. Friend Against Friend

Cue Theme - "Infinity (Red Zone Mix)"  
  
A clear blue sky, a few white clouds floating lazily by. Pan down, past the sun, until the skyline of a city comes into view: San Francisco.  
  
D I G I T A L M O N S T E R S  
  
We weave through the skyscrapers, before cutting to the streets below, a crowded sidewalk. A shadow quickly moves over them. Cut again to the skyline, then zoom into the top of the TransAmerica Building (the large triangular building), where a figure stands with its arms crossed: Aero Veedramon.  
  
Cut to a red background, a silver haired person turns left to face the camera, Ira Caraway, before fading away. Fal Michael fades in and does the same, only turning right, before fading away. David Milliard fades in, turns left to face the camera, then fades away.  
  
Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, and Veemon Akira fade in and do the same as their respective partners  
  
Cut to a shot of the camera flying over Tokyo bay towards Tokyo itself, the skyline in the distance. Cut again to a shot flying over Shinjuku, looking straight down as we pass over the Tokyo Metropolitan Building  
  
Cut to a blue background; Kouyuu Fukushima, "Callie" Stone, and Kaoline Shokai fade in and do the same as the others, followed by their partners: Hitorimon, Psymon, and Dianamon  
  
We now see two Earths floating next to each other in front of a star-filled background. Suddenly, two glowing red eyes open, looking somewhat faded, one over each Earth.  
  
Now we are above the clouds, in the distance we see a giant blue-ish dragon, Azulongmon. We rapidly zoom in to the face of a person sitting on his head: Caspian Callaway. Cut to what appears to be a desert, another young man, Shadow, stands alone covering his face with one hand (like Heero in the Gundam Wing intro), we pull back just far enough as Antylamon lands in front of him. Cut again, Garfield Magus and Black Agumon are back to back, Garfield firing two handguns and his partner shooting a fireball. Now we are in a field of tall grass, Jajan appears and shoots an arrow at a target, then Celermon walks up behind him.  
  
All of the partner Digimon each appear and fire their signature attacks at an unseen enemy (in order: Aero Veedramon, Seadramon, Veemon Akira, Hitorimon, Psymon, Dianamon, Azulongmon, Antylamon, Black Agumon, and Celermon). We then cut to black. The background lightens to reveal seven shadowed figures: Olympidianamon, Metal Seadramon, Ridatsumon Zero, Imperialdramon, Paladinmon, Black WarGreymon and Adeemon.  
  
All of the Tamers (Ira, Fal, David, Kouyuu, Callie, Kaoline, Caspian, Shadow, Garfield, and Jajan) walk into view (like the end of Digimon Season 3's intro), followed by their respective partners.  
  
DIGITAL MONSTERS FOREVER

--

**"Friend Against Friend" **

**Wednesday, April 8, 2071 **

**Fort Aleksandrea**

The night sky is a shade of navy blue, dotted with many shiny specs among a clear sky over the desert. A single beacon of light exists as far as the eye can see, and it is aflame. Fort Aleksandrea, a Dragon Vanguard outpost in the middle of the desert, sits among mountains of sand as even more massive clouds of black smoke spew from the fires burning within it.  
  
In the fort itself, a massive battle wages as the Dragon Vanguard Digimon fight a losing battle against the hordes of Scorpiomon and Pteramon, their enemy's allegiance completely unknown.  
  
From my vantage point, several Pteramon swoop past, delivering their deadly payload into the mass of battling soldiers, causing several large and fiery explosions to rip through the crowds before me. I smile, savoring this destruction. My revenge is near.

--

___Cue – "Heero's Dream"___

I let out a growl as Panjyamon started to fight against the Garudamon in the sky. Not that he wasn't having any fun, stomping on Scorpiomon is both annoying and tiresome; however, I still wished I had a more challenging opponent. Then again, I was still under a handicap, since I'm only in this Champion form. I continued gaze upon the battle, until a Pteramon flew past my head. I immediately turned my attention toward this new challenger.  
  
"SEA DRAGON BURST!"  
  
I let out a blue wave of energy, straight toward this opponent. However, it didn't hit the main body; rather, it hit the edge of the left wing, as I intended. The Pteramon crashed into a sandbank only a few kilometers away from my position.  
  
_We're going to need answers..._ I thought to myself, these guys aren't Phoenix Armed Forces troops; neither were they Archelon Clanners or White Tigers. Rather, the Digimon that were attacking all had this strange mark on their shoulders. The mark was black, and looked like some beetle. Needless to say, I was greatly mystified.  
  
"I need more anti-air Digimon to cover the base. The Pteramon are starting to carry high output bombs!" Fal yelled out, leading a few various reptilian Digimon. It was weird, how a mere human could command one of the mightiest armies in the Digital World. I had no doubt in my mind about Fal's natural leadership abilities; however, it was still all too strange. The way he and David were working together to win the battle, not in competition like most of the Dragon Vanguard commanders, especially Panjyamon. Even I was guilty of competition all those years ago...  
  
"SEADRAMON!"

I immediately snapped out of my haze, as Fal said: "I need a ride to get up there," he pointed toward the sky, "Care to give me a lift?" I didn't answer; I just let him on my slender back and immediately took off into the wild blue yonder. At least I didn't have to swat Scorpiomon anymore, now it was Pteramon....

--

Impmon merely watched as the base's guards were wiping out his forces. He didn't expect them to be this challenging, and the base mainly contained 44 Champion level Digimon, not including the Ultimate level Panjyamon, who was fighting Garudamon at the moment. There had to be strong leaders at this base…great tacticians. For one thing, he never saw the rather competitive Dragon Vanguard defenders work together so well. Two, the strategies executed were unlike any he had seen DV tacticians execute. And he knew they weren't just from Seadramon, they had to be from someone, or _something_ else...  
  
_You seem worried, Impmon,_ the voice said in his head. The shadow seemed to be eclipsed in the moon light, leaving a delicate outline. The crimson eyes still glowed.  
  
"Are you kidding, sir? We're losing!" Impmon growled, "We're losing to a bunch of backwater Dragon Vanguard rookies. They may have Colonel Seadramon and Lt. General Panjyamon, but I don't get it!" Impmon slammed his fist onto the sand.  
  
_You wish to join them, don't you?_  
  
"Are you kidding?" Impmon replied, "I really want to pay back Akira and Serpentmon for what they did to me years ago." he sighed, "But, how can I serve you and fulfill my vengeance at the same time? Serpentmon has already digivolved into Seadramon, and Akira is in one of those giant robot Digimon, both are champion level. I'm a mere rookie..."  
  
_Oh, Impmon, you underestimate both yourself and my abilities once again._ The shadow seemed to laugh.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Impmon asked.

The shadow's eyes glowed brighter, _RISE IMPMON AND DIGIVOLVE!_  
  
Impmon started to glow, "Impmon, digivolve to..." the form turned into a demonic shape, "ICEDEVIMON!" the glow stopped, and revealed a demonic themed Digimon with ice blue armor.  
  
_Now you have the power to accomplish my wishes. Go Icedevimon, and exact your revenge!_  
  
Icedevimon gave no response; he merely opened his ice-cold wings and took flight, toward his old adversaries...

--

Callie had her back to Psydramon. She had managed to grab a rod and kept the attacking Digimon away from her partner.  
  
"PSYCHIC FIST!!"

Psydramon released another attack at the Scorpiomon and watched as several of them fell down the stairs stunned. Callie managed to bash another one on the head.

"How many more are there Psydramon?" she called to her partner.  
  
"I don't know...too many!" the Digimon replied as she released another attack.  
  
"Where are Fal and David?" Callie asked, "I lost them when the fight started."  
  
"I don't know."  
  
An attack from the air caused the two to be flung from one another. Callie had a weird sensation as she felt herself falling from the platform. Psydramon spun on the attackers, Pteramon and then saw Callie.

"Callie!"

She instantly took off from the platform and caught the girl.  
  
Callie looked up at Psydramon and gasped, "You can fly!?"  
  
Psydramon shook her head. "Not really. This is an over exertion of mental ability." She landed and placed Callie on the ground. "It's hard to do for a long time."  
  
Callie nodded. "What are we going to do?"  
  
"I'm going to keep fighting for as long as I can. You get under cover."  
  
"I can't do that! You need my help," Callie replied.  
  
"Callie, please! I can fight better if I know you safe. Please go," said Psydramon. Callie looked like she was going to protest but then nodded.

"Okay," she finally replied, and ran toward the main building. Psydramon watched her and then ran back up the stairs to the top of the battlements.

--

Panjyamon leaps into the air and slashes down at his opponent, Garudamon, who parries the attack and pushes the Ultimate level lion away.  
  
_Damn!_ he thinks, as Garudamon spreads his wings and takes to the air.  
  
"I've wanted to kill you for so long now, Panjyamon," says Garudamon with a smirk.  
  
"You traitorous bastard! Who are you fighting with now? The Phoenix? The White Tigers?" yells Panjyamon. Garudamon swoops down and kicks Panjyamon in the gut, sending him skidding across the ground and kicking up a small cloud of dust.  
  
"We are Section 5," he replies.

--

"SEA DRAGON BURST!"  
  
A wave of blue energy soars across the dark sky and engulfs an entire squad of five Pteramon, destroying them utterly.  
  
"Above us!" yells Fal, as two more Pteramon dive upon them from above, firing their missiles straight down. Without a word, the serpentine Digimon swerves in midair and weaves his way through the hail of missiles, past the enemies and fires straight back down on them.  
  
"This is insane!" yells Fal, "How many Digimon are we fighting here?!"  
  
"I don't know, but my guess is WAY too many," replies Seadramon.  
  
"How reassuring," says Fal, as another series of explosions demolishes a nearby building.

--

"CRAP!" yells Kana, diving out of the way as flaming rubble lands where she stood only a moment before, "Which way is it to the main building?!" As if just to make her life even more of a living hell at this moment, one of the Scorpiomon rises from some of the nearby rubble.  
  
"Well, this is just GREAT!" she yells before making a run for it in the opposite direction, hoping that the Digimon would be too weak to give chase. Unfortunately, that isn't the case, as it goes after her with surprising speed. Just when it seems as if it will catch her, a Guardromon comes out of practically NOWHERE and rams the Scorpiomon into the ground, before leaping into the air and bombarding it with missiles.  
  
"Thanks!" yells Kana, taking a moment to catch her breath.  
  
"No problem!" the robot Digimon replies, before flying off.

--

_My life is darkness, pain, and death. For quite a long time now, I have been nothing but a mindless drone in what anybody with common sense would describe as an "utterly pointless war". But aren't all wars pointless? Does this make me less of a Digimon because I've participated in the pointless bloodshed? Now...not only am I still fighting, but now I've dragged my friends into this. What next, my family? Are they even still alive? Serpentmon had the right idea; I should've left when I still had the chance. Why...? Why didn't I go with him...?_  
  
The cockpit of the Mekanorimon dimly illuminates Veemon Akira's face as he silently thinks of these things. The point of this war, the point of this fighting, and most of all, the point of his life. Was this really all there was for him? To fight? To...die? A bright flash nearby brings Akira back to reality. He brings the targeting reticule down and locks onto one of the Scorpiomon and pulls the trigger. The Mekanorimon's beam cannon fires, killing the champion-level Glitch instantly. It may have seemed cowardly, but Akira had decided before that sniping would be the safest bet, staying atop one of the buildings and firing down at the enemies below. He takes aim at another Scorpiomon, but hesitates to fire.  
  
"I wonder...what sort of life this Digimon has led? Does he have any family? Friends? Who is this I am about to kill...to murder...?" Akira whispers quietly to himself. He'd never actually asked this question to himself before…he just did as he was ordered.  
  
"I'm a pawn. Nothing more, nothing less..." he whispers, his eyes wandering from the battle below to one of the billowing clouds of smoke. A gust of wind shifts the smoke's direction, revealing a Persian-styled tower. Akira at first doesn't notice anything strange about it besides the oddly long spike atop it...until he realizes it isn't a spike. The slender, white Digimon's eyes glow crimson as it stretches is large tattered wings, a devilish smirk on his face.  
  
_Revenge..._  
  
"What the...!" mutters Akira, grabbing his head as the white demon leaps towards him...

--

"SEA DRAGON BURST!"

Seadramon fired another blue wave and hit a group of Pteramon, deleting them off the bat. It then swerved to slap another Pteramon and send it flying into the ground.  
  
"What's that?" Fal asked, pointing to what looked like a white…demon…battling against Akira's 'Mobile Suit'.  
  
"I don't know, but it looks like it's overwhelming Akira!" Seadramon replies. Without a second thought, Seadramon changed direction and shot for that white object. It then proceeded to tackle it, sending it back.

"You know how rude it is to crash a party?" Seadramon taunted. However, the beast quickly got up and dusted itself off, before staring at Seadramon.

"Oh, come now, High Commander or is it 'Colonel' now? You certainly wouldn't forget an old friend, would you?" the Icedevimon grinned.  
  
"Impmon?" Seadramon questioned.  
  
"ZERO FREEZE!" Icedevimon shot a huge ice beam toward Seadramon's general direction. However, it didn't hit Seadramon.

_Oh shit! No!_ Seadramon thought as he watched the beam shoot into Fal. Fal toppled over and fell into the sand below, frozen in a block of ice.  
  
"Heh, frozen food," Icedevimon laughed.  
  
"You..." Seadramon growled, "BASTARD!!" he launched forward, ready to rip apart the fallen angel Digimon. IceDevimon simply jumps in the air and over the enraged serpent, which quickly turns and launches at him again in complete rage.  
  
_Heh, blind rage..._ thinks IceDevimon, thrusting his hands in front of him and catching Seadramon's head, letting it push him farther into the air.  
  
"I'LL KILL YOU! KILL YOU!!!" howls Seadramon, "SEA DRAGON BURST!!" A wave of blue energy is unleashed from Seadramon's maw, but IceDevimon uses his hold on the Digimon's snout to flip himself over the serpent's head and out of danger, allowing the beam to impact with the fighting Digimon below. IceDevimon quickly turns to Seadramon's back, slashes with his claws, and kicks him back down towards the ground. His rage growing, Seadramon swerves in midair and fires his attack back up at the ice demon, who dodges and heads back towards the building where he'd been fighting Akira. But, Seadramon doesn't let up, continuing to fire at IceDevimon and impacting the building as he fires blindly.  
  
"CRAP!!" yells Akira, putting his Mekanorimon into over drive and jetting off towards the side to avoid being killed.

"Oh SHIT!!" yells David, as the entire side of the building he is next to is hit with a wave of blue energy and explodes. David dives off of Tankmon, just as a ton of debris falls down right where he'd been, deleting the Digimon instantaneously. David takes only a second to get up and start running like mad, as the rest of the building explodes in cloud of fire and smoke. David finally stops to look back at the devastation, and notices Akira's Mekanorimon land only a few meters away.  
  
_Cue - "Paint It Black" - Rolling Stones_  
  
Suddenly, what David can only register as a white demon dives out of the sky and punches at the Mekanorimon, which attempts to block the attack. David finds himself diving back into the sand as the force of the punch pushes both Digimon sailing towards him.  
  
"Is that...a DIGIMON?!!" yells David, as the Mekanorimon fires its beam cannon at the demon several times, but the beams harmlessly fly past its head as the demon punches again and again. Suddenly, from seemingly out of nowhere, another Mekanorimon flies over David and rams IceDevimon, sending both skidding into the sand. IceDevimon opens his tattered white wings and catches the air, sending him back into the air.  
  
"ZERO FREEZE!" yells the icy devil, flapping his wings and sending a hail of spikes down on the Mekanorimon, which returns fire with the beam cannon as it's hit in several places.  
  
"IceDevimon!" yells Akira, his Mekanorimon jumping into the air at him, only to get slashed across the torso/head and sent back to the ground. Suddenly, Seadramon comes up from behind and viciously bites down on IceDevimon's chest, shaking him like how a dog shakes a rag doll.  
  
_His eyes..._ thinks David, noticing the feral, possibly insane, look in the digimon's eyes. Suddenly a pair of missiles impacts with Seadramon, sending him reeling and dropping IceDevimon, who quickly flies backwards and away from him. David forces himself to get back up, then looks around himself to see if there is anything or anyone he could use to help, then finds exactly what he wants.  
  
"Hey! You!" yells David, getting the attention of what looks like a giant dog/rabbit with gattlings for hands, "Give the Mekanorimon and Seadramon air cover!"  
  
"But...I'm..." says the Digimon.  
  
"SHOOT THE DAMN PTERAMON!!!" howls David, not in the mood for a debate. Without another word, the Digimon raises his gattlings and aims at the swarm of Pteramon flying over the area.  
  
"GARGO LASER!" he yells, firing both gattlings, immediately blasting several Pteramon.  
  
"Hey, you're pretty good," says David, "What's your name?"  
  
"Uh...Gargomon," says the Digimon, suddenly turning towards David and firing past him, hitting a Scorpiomon that had crept up on him.  
  
"GYAH!" yells David, jumping away, "Warn me next time!"

--

_THUD!_  
  
"What the...?!" yells Kana, spinning around to see the object that had just barely crushed her. Her face pales with horror.  
  
"Fal...?" she whispers, staring at the frozen hulk of ice, "FAL!"

--

"Enjoying yourself, IceDevimon?" Seadramon laughed, as he looked at the viciously wounded fallen angel in the sand. He would've flown into the air again, however, Seadramon shot in front of him with amazing speed.

"SEA DRAGON BURST!"

He fired the blue wave and point blank, creating a crater in the sand. A huge explosion followed. However, Seadramon merely floated there, through the explosion, with a mad look upon his eye. He smirked, at the site of IceDevimon at the bottom, bruised and battered.

"Time to die..." he taunted as he floated down and ensnared him. He struggled a bit, but his strength wasn't enough…the massive serpent was just too strong for him.

"THUNDERBOMB!"

Massive surges of electricity shot around Seadramon's hide and into Icedevimon. The frozen Digimon could only cry out in pain. After a few minutes, the shocking stopped, and Icedevimon caught his breath. Beaten to a pulp, he couldn't even struggle this time, paralyzed.

"You like that?" Seadramon laughed, "I know you do, have some more. THUNDERBOMB!" The surges returned, double effect this time. Icedevimon struggled and growled in pain, while Seadramon laughed insanely...  
  
"SEADRAMON!" Akira yelled as he jumped into the crater and kicked him away from the now KO'ed IceDevimon, "What are you doing?!"  
  
"Returning a favor I owed this guy a long time ago, Akira. Stay out of this! SEA DRAGON BURST!" he shot the blue wave again, at his friend. Luckily, Akira maneuvered his Mekanorimon to dodge, but he was thrown away by the shockwave. Even though the cyborg was a strong Digimon, Seadramon was one of the most powerful Champion-types in the Digital World, and therefore, Akira knew he wouldn't last long if this kept up. _Damn, he's been thrown over the edge,_ the little dragon thought as he maneuvered away from another wave, _Even if I wanted to, there's no way I can stop him physically. I'll have to reason with him..._

"Seadramon..." mutters Akira, his hands gripped tightly around the control sticks. The large serpentine Digimon, his friend, was staring at him with deadly cold eyes and breathing heavily. Those eyes...  
  
"Stay out of this," Seadramon says quietly, then looks towards IceDevimon and narrows his eyes, "He must die...IT IS TIME TO DIE!!"  
  
"Seadramon! Stop it! You're acting like one of THEM!" yells Akira, angering Seadramon, who slaps the Mekanorimon with his tail and sends him crashing into the sand.  
  
"Them? THEM?! He...heh...hehehehahahaHAHAHAHA!!!!" yells the champion, his eyes wide and pupils small.  
  
"Seadramon...you're not well..." says Akira futilely.  
  
"Hehehe...them? What about Fal? Did they give HIM a chance? DID THEY?! It's their fault...he's gone...it's all their fault..." he rambles, then suddenly dives as IceDevimon and grabs him in his jaws again, shaking him violently before throwing the limp body at the Mekanorimon's feet.  
  
"Fal isn't gone yet! We can save him!" yells the Veemon, trying to snap his friend out of it.  
  
"I will kill them...I will kill them all...he's gone and it's all their fault...its the war's fault, they war killed him!" he rambles, "The war killed him...we are the war. We killed him. We killed Fal. You...I....YOU!!!!"  
  
_Oh crap,_ thinks Akira, as Seadramon suddenly leaps towards his Mekanorimon with astounding speed. Within the blink of an eye the serpent has ensnared the robot Digimon and prepares to strike the domed cockpit.  
  
"NO!" Akira yells, hitting the jump-jets and sending both flying up into the air, but that doesn't stop Seadramon from taking a bite out of the robot's right shoulder.

--

David could barely tell what was happening at first. Akira's Mekanorimon and Seadramon, who is still wrapped around the mobile suit-like Digimon, slam into the rubble of a wrecked building nearby, Seadramon still trying to rip the Mekanorimon's arm off as the Digimon tries to stand back up. The same Mekanorimon that had helped Akira against IceDevimon comes up from behind and tries to grab Seadramon's head, while Akira activates his jumpjets. Seadramon loosens his grip, sending the one Mekanorimon stumbling backwards with himself in a headlock, and Akira into the sky.  
  
"SEA DRAGON BURST!" he yells, sending a wave of blue energy sailing into the sky, colliding with Akira's Mekanorimon.  
  
"AKIRA!!" David yells, starting to run blindly towards the battling Digimon  
  
"Wait! What are you doing?!" yells Gargomon, but the human ignores him.  
  
_Akira...I have to help him..._ David thinks, an image of Akira deleting in a scream of pain flashing through his mind, _I can't let him die!_  
  
Akira's Mekanorimon floats there in the air for a moment, arcs of electricity crossing the robot digimon's body as smoke pours from various wounds. Suddenly, several streams of missiles impact across the digimon's back, fiery explosions sending it flying forward for a moment before dropping head-first from the sky, deleting from the legs up.  
  
"NOO!!!!" screams David, realizing that he was about to loose him. Then, a very strange thing happened: his Digivice suddenly erupted in a bright light, a surge of power moving in a concentric circle away from him like the aftershock of a nuclear explosion. Before the Mekanorimon completely deletes, a bright explosion destroys the cockpit, leaving a sphere of light floating in the sky.  
  
_Cue - "Target Akai Shougeki"_  
  
Within the sphere of light, Akira's flesh seems to tear itself away from his body, revealing the grid-like form within.  
  
"Veemon Akira...digivolve to..."  
  
The grid-like form changes shape and the data rearranges itself into a larger form. A new skin forms over this body, the same color as the original, followed by red armor with sharp blades embedded in them.  
  
"FLAMEDRAMON!"  
  
Cracks appear in the sphere of light, and then it suddenly shatters, revealing what appears to be a humanoid dragon in red armor. Somehow, David doesn't need to be told what happened or who this Digimon is, he just knows.  
  
"Flamedramon Akira..." he whispers, as Akira lands in the sand nearby, runs towards Seadramon, and rams him into the ground. Seadramon's eyes, already wide with apparent insanity, are now filled with surprise.  
  
"You digivolved...!" he says, as the newly digivolved Flamedramon does a black flip off of him and lands a short distance away.  
  
"Seadramon...let us help you..." implores Akira. For a moment, the old Seadramon is back, deep sadness in eyes. But, then the moment passes, and the rage returns.  
  
"You...you aren't Akira. Akira couldn't digivolve. No, you're one of the Phoenix...you helped IceDevimon kill Fal...YOU KILLED FAL!!" screams Seadramon.  
  
"STOP IT! Your rage is clouding your mind...it's making you go INSANE!" Akira yells back.

--

**Nearby...**  
  
Desperately, Kana continues bashing the block of ice with a metal rod, trying her hardest to save Fal.  
  
"Fal! Hold on!" she yells, "Wait...what am I doing?!" She throws away the metal rod and concentrates on Psydramon, trying to reestablish the psychic link she'd formed with her partner earlier.  
  
_Psydramon!_ she says in her mind.  
  
_What's wrong, Kana?_  
  
_Its Fal...he's been frozen! Help me!_  
  
_I'm on my way!_

--

"SEA DRAGON BURST!" Seadramon roared the attack, firing an icy blue beam at the new Flamedramon. However, if there was one improvement that Flamedramon Akira had over Veemon Akira, it was agility, easily dodging any attack that Seadramon fired. Seadramon, however, saw the futility of using long-range attacks and lunge forward, trying to bite and rip apart Akira like he did to IceDevimon.  
  
_Seadramon, my friend.__ I'm sorry that I have to do this, but if it'll bring sense back into you..._ Akira launched in the air, jumping up with great strength, and then landing behind Seadramon. "FIRE ROCKET!" he slammed his claw into the ground and fired a flame projectile through the sand. The flame so hot, that the sand around it melted into glass. It hit Seadramon on the back, making him topple a little. However, all that made Seadramon was angrier.  
  
"You truly are an imbecile, y'know that?" Seadramon laughed.  
  
"What, how? That attacked should've stunned you!" Akira pointed out. Fear started to grow on him.  
  
"I'm a water based Digimon for crying out loud! Fire attacks don't work on me that well!" he growled, "SEA DRAGON BURST!"  
  
Akira dodged the oncoming beam and rushed onto Seadramon, landing on his back. Like a wild horse to a cowboy rider, Seadramon struggled, weaving his serpentine body and trying to knock off Akira. After some struggle, however, Akira found the spot he needed.

"CALM DOWN!" Akira yelled, slapping his claw on the special spot, a small spot on Seadramon's mask, specifically the cheek area. Seadramon stopped struggling, and landed on the sand, softly. His eyes were full of shock and surprise.  
  
"No...no...one..." he mumbled.  
  
"No one ever hit you there except me," Akira said for him.  
  
"WHAT?" Seadramon's eyes retracted to the point they were little specks, but the insanity in his eyes were gone, "I…attacked…you......"  
  
"It's okay, I understand what you were feeling," Akira patted Seadramon's ice white/blue mask, "However, there IS a way that we can save Fal. You have to trust me."  
  
"Trust…" Seadramon mumbled again. Akira jumped off of him and let the large Digimon rise off the ground. However, he didn't take flight again; he merely knelt in the sand, like a snake would. He slithered at the frozen crystal that was at one point, a human being.

"Fal..."

--

By now, IceDevimon had de-digivolved back to Impmon and had strangely fully healed. He stood there, having a moment to crack his neck and joints.

"Man, those Dragon Vanguard geeks sure put up a fight..." He looked around, at the defeated bodies of those glitch Digimon and a few fallen Pteramon. He didn't see Garudamon anywhere, which meant he was either deleted or he retreated.  
  
_Impmon!_  
  
The same shadow, the one with red eyes, flew down next to Impmon. Its eyes glowed with a menace this time.  
  
"Forgive me, sir!" cowered Impmon, "I…wasn't strong enough, yet." He bowed down like the figure before him was a god of some kind. In a way, he was a god, considering what he could do to him. However, the response toward Impmon wasn't what one would expect in this form of situation. Laughter. The big, deep dark shadow was laughing.  
  
"Sir?" Impmon looked up.  
  
_You underestimate yourself, Impmon. You really think I would send an army of limited power to destroy my enemy?_  
  
"So, it was a test..." Impmon got up and dusted himself off, "You were trying to see what the Digital Khan and 'surfer boy' were capable of."  
  
_Yes, your intelligence is great, Impmon, however, you still have much to learn..._  
  
"Sir?"  
  
_I have added up there abilities. Two humans, yet one effective team. One is a tactician; the other is the field commander. Together, they make a powerful force to be reckoned with. But, they are still weak compared to me..._  
  
The shadow out stretched a hand out of the darkness, grayish in color, _Come, Impmon, you have done more than your part for today._  
  
"YES SIR!" Impmon grabbed the hand and the two seemingly teleported away from the desert...

--

Cue End Theme – "I'll be there – Megumi Hayashibara"

In a dim, trash-filled alleyway, we see Ira Caraway, his hands in his coat pockets as wind blows his silver hair into his face. Panning up slowly, we see Aero Veedramon looking down at him from atop the building to his right. Cut to a street in Sacramento, overlooking San Francisco Bay. David Milliard is on the sidewalk, leaning against a building and staring towards the ground, as rain falls from a dim and cloudy sky. As we pan to the right, dissolve into a similar view of Veemon Akira, who is doing the same except he is in a devastated village, the way he is leaning giving the impression that they're standing back to back. The sky is black, but glowing red as is rains lightly

Cut to a beach on the Southern California coast at sunset. Fal Micheal watches as the sun slowly sinks below horizon, bathing him in an orange-red light. Quickly zoom into his eye, then back out to see Serpentmon doing the same. Cut to Kana Stone sitting on a windowsill, staring out across Tokyo as the Sun sets in the distance. Dissolve to a similar scene in the Digital World with Psymon, only she is sitting on the opposite side of her window, staring out across a devastated city with columns of smoke lazily drifting across the red-orange sky.

On an empty road on Okinawa, we see Kouyuu Fukushima leaning against his car staring towards us as a heavy rain falls from the dark sky. Cut to the Digital World, Kaoline Shokai, Dianamon, and Wizardmon stare up at the Digital star filled sky. Pan and zoom to a tree to the right, Jajan looks out from behind it at her, Celermon behind him.

Cut to a gray background, the shadows of Azulongmon appears. Then, Shadow and Caspian Callaway fade into view, Lopmon Mist on Shadow's shoulder. Cut again to a dark room, where Garfield Magnus loads a handgun as Black Agumon looks on

On the plains of North America, Alan Maxwell and Oppimon stare at the dark clouds brooding in the distance ominously. In the Digital World, Titaniumon Utora stands in the shadows of some city.

A park in Tokyo, Shiro Arkov walks silently in a heavy rain, several shadows passing by him. A short distance away, Tim Areo and Dashamon watch.

--

Episode 11 Cast (In Order of Arrangement)

Fal Michaels . . . . . . . . . . . . Anubis

Seadramon

Impmon

Garudamon

Panjyamon

Kana Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . Renee Aarons

Psydramon

David Milliard . . . . . . . . . . Pkmatrix

Veemon Akira

Dragon Vanguard Soldiers


End file.
